In 2015, Macquarie University alumna Hannah Dawson took part in a study tour program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders that allowed her to visit some of the top universities in the United States and United Kingdom.
As a participant of the Aurora Indigenous Scholars International Study Tour, Hannah was given the opportunity to visit Berkeley, Stanford, Harvard, Columbia, and New York University in the US, as well as Cambridge and Oxford University in the UK.
“The tour was quite an incredible opportunity to explore what these universities have to offer. Not only this, I got to know the other scholars on the tour. They are some of the brightest people I have ever met and I know they will go on to be great leaders in their chosen fields.”
The study tour occurs in October and November of each year, taking Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander university students and graduates to visit the universities in order to explore postgraduate opportunities.
Hannah was able to explore a range of interests on the tour including law, political science and environmental economics – all of which she studied at Macquarie as a Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Laws student.
However, it was during a meeting at Oxford’s Department of Social Policy and Intervention that Hannah knew that she wanted to pursue postgraduate research in social policy.
“Macquarie provided me with a solid foundation upon which I could even contemplate studying at a place like Oxford. What I loved about Macquarie was that we weren’t just taught about the areas we were studying; we were also taught how to learn and to think about the big questions. These skills are precisely what Oxford looks for in potential students.”
These lifelong skills are what impressed the admissions tutor of the Department of Social Policy and Intervention, and Hannah was strongly encouraged to apply for a doctorate.
Hannah is currently preparing her application to Oxford to undertake a DPhil in comparative social policy.
Hannah says: “The study tour opened up doors to opportunities that I didn’t even know existed. Backed by my experience at Macquarie, I now also have the confidence to walk through them.”
Applications for the 2016 Aurora Indigenous Scholars International Study Tour open on 2 May.
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