My Sister, Kealey Griffiths by Bella Griffiths

My Sister, Kealey Griffiths

Bella Griffiths | Year 12

As I head into my final year at Maggies alongside my peers and friends, I am faced with a lot of decisions. What university will I end up at? What degree will I be studying? What colour will my formal dress be? While I might only know the answer to one of these questions with certainty (white!), I have started to think about what the next steps of my education journey will be. The past five years at St Margaret’s, supported by Yalari, have been lifechanging, and I can only imagine what the future holds – or I can pester my sister and see what she has been up to. My big sister, Kealey, graduated from St Margaret’s in 2018 and seemed to have everything figured out. She went straight into university, started getting good grades and has had some of the most amazing jobs and roles. She knows where she wants to end up, and she is well on her way to getting there. Fingers crossed I am in a similar boat in three to four years. I look to her as a role model (and second wardrobe) and asked her a few questions with hopes of providing a mini-guide to life after Maggies.

Q. How did you feel once you had graduated?

A. Relieved, excited and a little worried about what was to come. It felt like it was just last week that I had unpacked my room for the first time up in the Year 8 dorms, and suddenly, I was walking through the arch on the way to Last Boarder Dinner in the Arts Centre Foyer. How time flies.

Q. If you could, would you change anything about your senior years?

A. If I could change anything, it would be to study visual arts. I studied maths and science – these were the subjects I was considering studying at university, but since graduating, I have come to realise life isn’t so cut and dry. You don’t have to have just a single passion – you can have them all. Now I work in an Art Museum and am studying a Bachelor of Science. I paint in my spare time, but I am also a research assistant for UQ’s School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Q. What are some of the experiences you have had after school that align with your diverse passions?

A. Beyond science and art, I also have a deep passion for the advocacy of autonomy, agency and health literacy among vulnerable groups, including youth, women, and Indigenous Australians. I have been able to work with numerous companies, including Health Consumers Queensland, Children by Choice and the Children’s Hospital Foundation on projects that aim to better understand and respond to the diverse and complex needs of Australians. I have also been a part of numerous UQ projects focused on Indigenous Australian culture and knowledge. I authored a chapter in UQ’s Language and Relationships guide on Traditional Knowledge and have been the lead research assistant in developing a new course for the Bachelor of Science. ‘Centering Indigenous Knowledge in Science’ should be available to study by the end of this year, and I wholeheartedly recommend taking the course to any students who end up at UQ.

Q. How did you find out about these things? How can others get involved in similar ways?

A. In my first year of university, I went to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit (ATSIS) unit on campus and simply asked for help. They were more than happy to guide me through all the opportunities at UQ and continue to be helpful even after three years on campus. The ATSIS unit was where I heard about CareerTrackers, an Indigenous mentorship program that connects students with internships and opportunities relevant to their degree. Through both the ATSIS unit and CareerTrackers, and the numerous Indigenous academics, mentors and students I have met along the way, I have been able to learn more about my culture than I could have ever imagined and have been exposed to amazing opportunities. Visit the ATSIS unit (UQ) or the equivalent at your university and talk to people. Get involved with CareerTrackers. (QUT – Oodgeroo Unit; Griffith University – GUMURRII Student Success Unit).

Q. What is your end goal? Where do you want to end up?

A. I want to be working in vulnerable communities and leveraging my skills and experiences to help those around me. At this point, it seems this goal will manifest in a career as a doctor. I am close to graduating from my Science degree and will start a Masters of Public Health (Indigenous Health) in July ’22. After this, I have four more years with my head in a medical textbook.

Q. Do you have any advice for students as they graduate and move onto their next step in their journey?

A. Say yes to opportunities, without fear of failure, but know when to say no, without guilt.