Build up relationships. Ask the questions. Have the conversation.
Eli Wright is working towards the final units of his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of New England (UNE), balancing a double major in mathematics and computational science. He smiles as he talks about his position and how happy he is to have made the decision to change the direction of his study in 2019.
“Originally, I was enrolled in a Bachelor of Education, secondary mathematics. In the first year of a Bachelor of Education you go through the first-year units in your desired field. I was particularly intrigued by the maths and IT units.”
Within the first year of his teaching degree, he rediscovered his high school passion for the problem-solving focus of mathematics and IT. Reflecting on his journey, Eli says he realised what he wanted to get out of his degree was to develop his problem-solving skills.
Although he hasn’t ruled out teaching, focusing on mathematics and computational science fulfilled his desire “to know the content and how to solve problems”.
A proud Ngarabal and Dharug man, it was after relocating from the Far South Coast to on-campus study for the second year of his studies that Eli began to develop the relationships that would lead to his current success.
On track to complete his degree in trimester 1, 2023, Eli is already employed full time in the university’s IT department. Achieving this employment was a desire he previously expressed in his Oorala Student Story video – Pursuing a career in Mathematics & Computer Sciences. He happily shares the path he followed to end up in this position.
“My first employment with UNE was a one-off. One of my Unit Coordinators was looking for students for a STEM outreach day in Tamworth and I jumped at the opportunity.”
Following this positive experience, he registered as seeking part-time work on the UNE’s casual employment lists. Thanks to the assistance of the Aboriginal Employment Officer, he “was hired in April as a Customer Experience Officer at UNE’s Dixon Library”.
While juggling study and his employment, Eli was selected as an Oorala Indigenous Scholar, mentoring TRACKS students as they commenced university study for the first time. He “was a fellow student that students could come to and feel comfortable talking to about a problem they were having. It was a privileged position to be in.”
Being part of the Oorala Indigenous Scholar/TRACKS Peer Support program gave him the opportunity to develop “some very genuine and beautiful relationships” with students enrolled in the TRACKS program and is something Eli looks back on as a highlight of his study experience.
Although enjoying the work in the library, Eli’s passion lies within the IT department. When positions were advertised with the UNE’s IT Directorate in Client Services in late September 2019, he juggled his studies and “squeezed in the application between exam preparation and doing assignments in the Austin (UNE residential college) courtyard”.
As Eli stresses, building relationships is important and here the relationships he developed came to help him.
“I approached my supervisors from both my previous Library Customer Experience and current (at the time) Project Officer roles to be my referees. Though sad to see me change teams and Directorates, I do remember them being happy for me to have the opportunity and felt very supported by them. I was asked to come in for an interview with the panel.”
What stands out to Eli is remembering “Toni Widders, who was the Indigenous HR Consultant for Aboriginal Employment at UNE at that time, catching me in the suit and tie in the HR foyer and giving me the biggest hug to wish me luck and settle me down. I was admittedly nervous and very grateful the panel was patient with me. I was offered one of the positions once all the interviews had been conducted, and started in December 2019”.
He remains in this position today, while taking his units one at a time to keep his work and life balanced.
When asked how his experience working with UNE has been, Eli reveals it has been an “amazing experience” and that he feels “honoured to be in a position working with the people I do.”
“What inspires me at university and in life in general … is seeing the amazing solutions which can come out of complex problems.”
As Eli nears the end of his current study journey, he reflects that “my degree has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. It’s created so many different opportunities and I’ve got so much to look forward to.”
Story Author: Oorala Aboriginal Centre
