The process of transitioning to university life was made easier for one Berwick student after he moved into on-campus living.
Will Smith, a Wiradjuri man, made the move after beginning a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne.
With his university studies sorted, next came the challenge of deciding where to live.
He began commuting from Berwick but found the travel tiring.
Mr Smith began to spend a lot of time at Murrup Barak, the Melbourne Institute for Indigenous Development on the university campus, and was often found snoozing on the couches between classes, exhausted from studying and football training.
Realising that travel was taking its toll, someone at Murrup Barak asked if Mr Smith knew anything about the on-campus colleges.
He didn’t, but was soon introduced to a representative from Trinity College who helped him secure a scholarship.
Soon, instead of travelling 1.5 hours to get to university, all he needed to do was walk next door and he was there.
“Of course moving out of home for the first time will always be a bit scary, but it definitely helped that I knew a few of the students who went to Trinity,” he explained.
“The people I knew were from the Aboriginal community which in my experience back in Berwick wasn’t the norm.
“But in saying that, having people around who had grown up similar to me was a big help.
“This enabled me to feel more comfortable engaging with others.”
It then didn’t take long for Mr Smith to fill those hours that would have been spent commuting with other activities.
He regularly plays football and is also part of Trinity College’s First Nations committee, which offers a safe and supportive space for students who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and engages and educates the entire student body about First Nations cultures – including members of the committee themselves.
“I’m not the most educated in Aboriginality in general,’ said Mr Smith, “But I’m very passionate about it and passionate about self-identifying. We all have different knowledge and I have tonnes of stuff to learn.”
So far, he is enjoying living at the residential college.
Mr Smith said he enjoys meeting the people of different backgrounds who attend Triity.
“In effect, having all of these viewpoints clustered has translated into immense growth individually, both intellectually and socially,” he said.
Now settled, the third-year student hopes to pursue a career in psychology and become a clinical psychologist.
He said his experience at Kambrya College helped provide him with the guidance and encouragement to pursue his dreams.
As well, the cultural melting pot that is Kambrya helped to prepare Mr Smith for life in culturally-diverse Melbourne.
Mr Smith described university as “a literal gateway” to the future, and said it is filled with support, friends and sport.
He said he had a few choice words of advice for the students of tomorrow.
“This is a cliché, but it is the truth: simply do what you enjoy and are passionate about.
“Whatever it is, do it and love it and you will find a way to turn it into a career.”
