Meet the 2023 Charlie Perkins and Roberta Sykes Scholars!

Aurora Education Foundation is delighted to announce that seven Indigenous students have been awarded scholarships to study postgraduate courses internationally in recognition of their outstanding academic achievements and commitment to continuing to give back to their communities.

Aurora has awarded scholarships to Teresa Cochrane, Karri Walker, Mi-kaisha Masella, Naarah Barnes, Nicholas Harvey-Doyle, Dakota Feirer and Connor Haddad.

Below you will find the bios of the seven 2023 scholarship recipients, whom we are sending out a huge congratulations, and we wish them all the best with their studies overseas.

This year’s scholars include:

• Dunghutti Gumbaynggirr woman and Charlie Perkins Scholar, Teresa Cochrane. Teresa has recently completed a Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management (Honours) at Charles Sturt University. Teresa currently works at the CSIRO in the Young Indigenous Women’s STEM academy as an academic co-ordinator. This year she will move to the UK where she will study a Master of Philosophy in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management at Oxford University.
• Nyiyaparli woman and Roberta Sykes Scholar, Karri Walker. Karri Walker graduated from a Bachelor of Arts at Melbourne University in 2015, before completing her Juris Doctor at Melbourne Law School in 2018. Since then, Karri has worked in the legal sector and most recently works as a Senior Lawyer at the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria. She will go on to study a Master of Laws at Harvard University later this year.
• Darumbal woman and Roberta Sykes Scholar, Mi-kaisha Masella. Mi-kaisha is a current New York University student and is in her final year studying a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Recorded Music at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. Mi-kaisha has a background of working in music at both the ABC and AIME, she hopes to support the continuation of First Nations arts industries through her work.
• Gija woman and Roberts Sykes Scholar, Naarah Barnes. Naarah graduated with a Bachelor of Music majoring in Voice from The University of Tasmania in 2019. Since then, she has gained extensive experience in the entertainment industry with a focus on musical theatre. With this scholarship, Naarah has her eyes set on a Master of Music Theatre at the Royal Academy of Music in the UK.
• Anaiwan man and Roberta Sykes Scholar, Nicholas Harvey-Doyle. Nicholas is a student at New York University where he intends to use this scholarship, he is studying a Master of Arts in Media, Culture and Communication. Prior to this Nicholas completed a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws at the University of Newcastle. Through his study Nicholas would like to identify barriers to achieving diverse representation in media.
• Bundjalung, Gumbsaynggirr man and Roberta Sykes Scholar, Dakota Feirer. In 2020 Dakota completed a Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies at the University of Wollongong. Since then, he has been working at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney as Program Producer. Dakota will study a Master of Arts (Museum Studies) at New York University.
• Anaiwan man and Roberta Sykes Scholar, Connor Haddad. Connor completed a Bachelor of Communication (Honours) at The University of Queensland in 2019. For the last three years he has been working in Public Policy and has developed a passion for youth justice. Connor will study a Master of Public Administration in Public Policy and Public Value at University College London.