September 2021
Nicole Robinson, TRACKS, Bachelor of Education Student at UNE
Super Excited and Ready to Start Teaching Career!
Nicole Robinson has come a long way since anxiously browsing university courses after enjoying a break from study following the HSC.
The Gamilaraay woman is now just one practical placement away from becoming a fully qualified school teacher, but back then Nicole felt overwhelmed by the idea of going to university.
“I had had two years off from study after completing my HSC and I was looking at undergraduate degrees on the UNE website, but then I came across the Oorala Aboriginal Centre website and learned about TRACKS, a supportive and scaffolded way to begin this next step.” she recalled.
TRACKS is the University of New England’s (UNE) pathway program, developed specifically to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people gain the skills and confidence necessary to undertake a degree at UNE.
The program can be completed fully online from anywhere in Australia, or in person on-campus in Armidale, NSW.
“Returning to study was overwhelming and daunting but TRACKS was exactly what I needed to get back into study,” Nicole said.
Through the program, she gained skills and abilities that have proven invaluable to her throughout her tertiary education.
Nicole also had opportunities to learn alongside Indigenous Scholars in the Oorala Indigenous Scholar/TRACKS Peer Support Program.
“I fondly recall my personal connections to the scholars that I was able to meet on campus when attending the TRACKS orientation program, and how inspiring and beneficial that experience was for me,” Nicole said.
After completing her first assignments, with the assistance of teachers and study mentors, Nicole knew she was on the right path.
“I gained the confidence to know that I actually am capable of providing a valid answer, and can accomplish what seemed impossible in the beginning,” she said.
Nicole went on to excel in the TRACKS program and enrolled in an online Bachelor of Education (K-12 Teaching), with a major in English.
She was awarded the Oorala Merit Prize in 2019, and was invited to be an Oorala Scholar to mentor other TRACKS students.
Originally from Moree, NSW, Nicole is currently living in Gunnedah with her fiancé, Dyllan, and their two young children, where she balances her work, family and study commitments.
“Being an online student has been absolutely brilliant for me,” she said.
“It is the perfect way to gain a degree whilst still continuing with full time work and balancing my family life.
“I have been able to work with a tutor, provided through Oorala, throughout my entire degree, and have found this support invaluable.”
Nicole has completed all of her theory units and has just one practical experience placement left to complete.
“COVID has pushed my prac timetable out a little bit, so I’m just waiting to get that last school placement done and I can graduate. In the interim, I have conditional approval to teach!” she said excitedly.
