“My cultural practice informs who I am every single day.”
Pauline Syron-Coxon, a Worimi-Biripi descendant, and successful Indigenous artist, is studying a degree in criminology online through the University of New England (UNE).
Before her study journey, Pauline spent eight years in the Snowy mountains on Ngarigo country, where she began to paint landscapes featuring snow. This gave her artwork an edge, as she reflects that “there are very few Australian Aboriginal artists that recognise and paint snow.”
From here, Pauline’s art hit the international stage when it was featured on the packaging for Snowy Mountains cookies on Qantas flights. While the COVID-19 pandemic was devastating for most, for Pauline it meant that her artwork continued to be featured much longer than she had originally expected.
Subsequently Pauline has received many messages from people flying into Australia and seeing her work, rewarding Pauline with a sense of honour because “people are looking, seeing her art and thinking… I’m coming home.”
Alongside “a deep respect for the snowy mountains, for Ngarigo country”, Pauline made the decision to begin her tertiary study journey by enrolling in the TRACKS tertiary preparation program. Pauline chose to study at UNE because of the institution’s reputation for delivering high-quality online learning.
Pauline was initially apprehensive about returning to a learning environment as an older Aboriginal woman. Although she reveals that many older Indigenous people “may not have had a positive experience with the education system and going into an educational institution can raise stuff that you haven’t thought about for years”, Pauline says her fears were not realised and she found the environment very supportive of her prior experiences. The care and interest in every student shown by the TRACKS staff put Pauline’s mind at ease.
TRACKS proved to be the perfect transitionary step for Pauline, who reflects that “it was the best thing I ever did.”
After receiving excellent results in the TRACKS program, Pauline is now heading into her final year of a criminology degree. She continues to complete her coursework to a high standard, proudly saying that “this trimester has been the best trimester I’ve ever had. It was amazing. I got two distinctions and two high distinctions.”
Adding to her academic satisfaction was the greater sense of her achievements which came from being awarded the 2021 Mildred and Betty Scholarship. Pauline says the personal encouragement “is as important as the monetary gain” and that she remains “thankful for the generosity and care that the scholarship founders provide.”
Dedicated to upholding the “responsibility of being an Indigenous person and taking care of cultural identities”, Pauline has developed strong research skills which have become invaluable for both her academic career and for exploring her family heritage and culture. Involved in examining her family tree and learning her traditional language, Pauline is proudly on the organising committee for her family reunion next year.
Her significant achievements also saw her accepted into the Aurora Foundation’s Internship Program for 2021, and Pauline had planned to travel to the Justice Reinvestment Project in Bourke. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic she has had to postpone her placement, with future plans to complete it during the winter of 2022, just before the end of her degree.
Pauline continues her success as an Indigenous artist with artwork which will be featured on one of two Oorala Aboriginal Centre’s facemasks . Pauline is also establishing a new career path - criminology. She aims to become a researcher “because there is a very strong need for Aboriginal women who are researchers, researching Aboriginal women.”
As an academic and an Aboriginal woman, Pauline reflects that “this academic journey is something I take very seriously, just like my family heritage. They are things I take seriously but I also enjoy. I’m taking it on with the responsibility it deserves” and with “my passion and my interest; I know where I want to go.”
