I started my first job at Macquarie as a student ambassador with the Future Students team. I travel around New South Wales and Western Sydney and meet students from many different communities. I have always felt like I was the only Pacific Islander in the room so going to high schools in places like Blacktown and being a role model for kids from the Pacific has always been at the forefront of my job.
Pacific pride: History and Archaeology student Melissa Applin uses the story of her Sāmoan heritage to inspire others to attend university. Image: Samantha Christensen.
It's powerful to be an example for them and let them know how my parents came to Australia with nothing. My mother dropped out of university. Now, I’m at Macquarie and I get to follow through with her dream of higher education as well as my own, which has been really nice.
I get to be the first person at Macquarie that a newly-enrolled student talks to, so I really do have to set them up for success. I like meeting new History and Archaeology students, being able to talk to them about our shared field is like having a fun secret that we share because it’s so niche.
I’m working towards becoming a Pacific cultural consultant, being able to be a voice in the protection of my cultural heritage and being able to show that being Sāmoan can look like many different things.
I talk to people from all walks of life. I give guidance and help them navigate through their entry into Macquarie and make sure they get support. You get to comfort people and connect with them on a such a personal level. I’m really grateful. We talk on the phone and when you’re a teenager that’s an intimate thing.
When I tell other young people from the Pacific about my university experience, they often don’t realise this is an option for them because they are used to not having access to something like tertiary education. Many of us have migrated here from places that don’t have that kind of opportunity, it’s all very different.
I met a girl in her late twenties through Matavai Pacific Cultural Arts, and she had never considered going to university until she spoke to me. It’s been really nice to see other Pacific Islanders not being disadvantaged by their migrant backgrounds and being able to see a path forward.
I started my own journey at university unsure of what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to help people, but I didn’t know who to help or how I could do that. I then fell in love with Archaeology. I had a phenomenal teacher. He spoke passionately about how to better represent indigenous cultures in history and archaeology, and he has such a profound respect and love for First Nations people which really rubbed off on me. Before that, I hadn’t considered going into Indigenous research or applying my own Indigenous frameworks.
One day, I want to create educational programs for families and young people to come into museums and engage with history in a variety of ways that’s not just reading plaques. I’m working towards becoming a Pacific cultural consultant, being a voice in the protection of my cultural heritage and being able to show that being Sāmoan can look like many different things.
Find out more about the Macquarie University Student Ambassador Program.
