My journey with Aurora – Mahlia Garay

By Mahlia Garay, Aurora Mentor, Alumnus Intern, Scholar and Study Tour Participant.

Mahlia is a Ngarigo and Darkinjung woman who is in her fourth year of a Bachelor of Arts and Social Work (Honours), majoring in Indigenous Studies and minoring in Health at the University of Sydney.

Mahlia was kind enough to share with us her reflections on her Aurora journey, here she writes:

I started my Journey with Aurora in 2019, where I completed my first summer internship. I was interning at Key Assets in Whadjuk Country, Perth for six weeks. This was a highlight of my early academic life as I was able to develop invaluable practical skills and collaborate with the cultural practice leader on improving client cultural safety within the service.

The internship opportunity allowed me to build new community connections and I have remained in close contact with members of the team ever since. It was thanks to Aurora for providing ongoing wellbeing and financial support that I was able to have such an enriched experience in a completely new city.

In 2021, I then applied to be a high school mentor. I have been a mentor for two years now and love having the opportunity to return the support, care, and encouragement to the high school students that Aurora gave me during my internship. I have also been selected to be a participant of the 2021/22 Study Tour and I am excited to be traveling to the UK at the end of this year to explore options of post graduate study.

I am looking forward to continuing my ongoing journey with the Aurora community. I believe that it has been my engagement with the Aurora team that has allowed me to grow both personally and professionally while supporting me to explore career opportunities.

Whilst completing her undergraduate degree, Mahlia is also a research assistant at the Kirby Institute, exploring the sexual health experiences and needs of LGBTIQ+ First Nations youth. She is also assisting with the Australian First Roadmap for Indigenous Adolescent Health Policy as the NSW Indigenous female representative for SAHMRI’s youth governance group.