Hot in the pursuit of social justice

Scott Wilson’s redefining the status quo.

Gooniyandi on his mum’s side and Gadjerong on his dad’s side, he’s a deep thinker who's driven by a desire for social justice.  

When he was still at school, he travelled to Papua New Guinea, Vietnam and Cambodia to help other school students. He was a Nulsen Youth Patron and worked to create awareness about people with disabilities. He used to tutor kids with ADHD. 

Then he started uni and took a breather, a sideways step from the tools, from the hands-on social work. His interest in people and in making a social difference didn’t wane—he just started looking at things a different way. In his Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Western Australia he discovered anthropology. 

“I’d always enjoyed working with people, wondering why we are the way we are. I realised anthropology is connected to everything in the humanities and beyond. It’s connected to economics and modes of production, it’s linked into every kind of study—even engineering.” 

Now, while he puts the finishing touches on his undergraduate degree, he’s wondering whether to pursue this interest by taking on a Masters in Heritage Studies or Honours in Anthropology.

Either way, he’s committed to locking in the hubs for another few years of study and feels that this way he’ll be in a better position to make positive big-picture social changes.

It hasn’t been an easy journey—Scott says many Aboriginal kids are dogged by low expectations. 

“University is not something that’s usually advertised as a path for us. Schools often set us on a pre-determined path, and university isn’t at the end. We need to break out of this system. You don’t need to do great at school to get started - you have to get started to be great! We put it on ourselves that we’re not good enough. But we are,” Scott says.  

Studying in Perth, so far from home, Country and culture, certainly comes with its own challenges. 

“You have to be strong, not to forget home, or culture, or language, or who you are as an Aboriginal person. Although you have to sacrifice a lot to study, you’ll be better off in the long run. I’m hoping to take all I’ve learnt in Perth and at uni and to integrate it with my own cultural values and traditional knowledge. This is my country and now I have the tools to protect it. We should be able to live on our country without being oppressed by inequality,” Scott says.

KRED Enterprises is proud to award Scott a Nipper Tabagee Scholarships to assist him with his university studies. We believe it’s crucial to support the educational endeavours of our young people—especially when they’re young people like Scott, hot in pursuit of social justice. Our next round of Nipper Tabagee Scholarships will open on the 1st July. Head to www.kred.org.au/scholarships in August and apply online. We hope to hear from you then! Thanks from the KRED team.