My Name is Mikhaela Darcy, I am a proud Indigenous woman from the Kamilaroi nation in NSW. I was raised on a small Aboriginal mission in a remote and rural area. I have 3 Beautiful children aged 21, 18 and 10. I feel honored to be entering my third year of Bachelor of Midwifery and I feel I can be a great role model for Indigenous women in remote and rural areas. I have commenced my studies through Australian Catholic University in Brisbane as this allows me to still work and be a mum, as most of the studies are online which suits my busy life at present.

This Scholarship will assist me to be able to travel interstate and will assist with the financial burden to gain further experience from tertiary hospital settings. I will then be able to utilize those skills in the remote and rural locations.

I am currently in my final year of the Bachelor of Midwifery at Southern Cross University on the Gold Coast. I have developed a great passion for educating and supporting Indigenous women and their families, particularly within the community setting. I look forward to completing my undergraduate degree, gaining further clinical experience and committing to further study.

This scholarship will assist me in attending CPD activities and purchasing materials that will advance my clinical knowledge as a student. With this award, I will work towards creating a support group specifically for Indigenous nursing and midwifery students attending Southern Cross University.

My name is Brooke. I am a mum to three boys and a proud Berooberongal Woman from the Darug Nation.  My passion to become a midwife ignited after giving birth to my second child and became a reality two years after the birth of my third child.

Being able to support a woman and empower her to make the decisions she wants for the birth of her baby and watching the strength of a woman at a time like birth amazes me. It’s a beautiful experience.

Thanks to the Indigenous Alternative Entry Program I can study a Bachelor of Midwifery at Western Sydney University. I am also a part of   an Aboriginal Cadetship in the clinical workplace, allowing me to continuously use my skills and always be learning.

Receiving this scholarship has given me hope to continue with this course. At times when placement can be demanding, and finances are few, this scholarship will help and encourage me to continue this course and remember that anything is possible.

I am a proud Kamilaroi woman originally from Walhallow in North West New South Wales and I am currently living on the Central Coast. I am in my first year of a Bachelor of Midwifery at the University of Newcastle. This scholarship will help significantly during my studies to assist with the cost of university resources such as textbooks and uniforms, travel to and from university and practical placement, and the cost of daycare for my son.

I am looking forward to the next two and a half years of my study, especially with the support of the Rhodanthe Lipsett Indigenous Midwifery Charitable Fund.

I’m a proud Aboriginal woman from the Kamilaroi nation (Moree, NSW). I have 3 children and have lived in Newcastle for most of my life. I work as an Aboriginal Health Worker in an Aboriginal Maternal and Child Health Service. I am currently studying the Bachelor of Midwifery (Indigenous) program through the Australian Catholic University.

The scholarship will assist me financially and help me to complete my studies by reducing stress over the lack of money as I will be required to take leave without pay from work to cover attendance and clinical placement requirements. I will enable me to purchase necessities such as text books, stationary, uniforms etc. Receiving this scholarship is going to help me achieve my dreams of hopefully one day becoming a midwife, just like my grandmother did back in the early days on the mission. It is also encouraging to know that other people like the Board of Trustees of the Rhodanthe Lipsett Indigenous Charitable Fund believe in you by rewarding you as a successful scholarship candidate.

I am a proud Wiradjuri woman residing on the Gold Coast in South East Queensland. I am currently in my second year of study, working towards completing my degree through Australian Catholic University’s ‘Indigenous Away From Base Midwifery Program’. As part of this program I must travel to the ACU Banyo campus twice each semester to attend compulsory residential and exam blocks. This has created a very demanding financial strain on my family, however I am determined and highly motivated to complete my degree.

Becoming a midwife has been a dream of mine for quite some time. My future aspirations are to be able to work in partnership with women, their families and other healthcare professionals to improve maternity care and assisting in the “Closing the Gap” initiative. I endeavor to one day work as a midwife in a group practice model providing continuity of care to the Indigenous women in my local community.

Being a full-time student and mother of two children under the age of 4, I am unable to work in paid employment and my family therefore relies solely on my husband’s wage. Daycare fees take a massive amount from our weekly budget, meaning that funds from the scholarship will benefit me by helping to keep my children in daycare, allowing me the time to attend clinical placement and remain a full-time student. Additionally, the funds will support me to enroll in courses through the Australian College of Midwives to help further my knowledge and extend my qualifications and portfolio.

I am a newly graduated midwife working with the Logan Metro South District Health Service in Brisbane. I recently graduated from the Australian Catholic University in Brisbane. I am an Aboriginal woman whose heritage extends from the Gudjal nation of the Charters Towers Region of Central Queensland. I have three daughters who I want to inspire to achieve whatever career path they choose.

I want to continue to inspire other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to enter the health professional workforce. I would love to be a mentor to other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander midwives.

The funds from this scholarship will be used to assist in purchasing tickets for the CATSINAM conference in Sydney this year. The funds will also go towards my accommodation and flights. I chose this conference as it is truly amazing what can happen when nurses and midwives come together once a year to support and share their journey in continuing and mentoring their chosen profession of nursing and midwifery.