25/07/2023
👏 Congratulations to Cameron Gooda from Park Avenue State School, who received the ROCK NAIDOC (Rockhampton NAIDOC) Student of the Year Award for his dedication to academic excellence and passion for Indigenous education 👏.
Cameron works as a Teacher Aide while studying a Bachelor of Education through James Cook University and the Remote Area Teacher Education Program (RATEP). He has already completed his Diploma of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education through RATEP.
When he graduates, he wants to connect with new cohorts of students and model to them what a career in education can look like for an Indigenous person.
Cameron says it’s critical Indigenous staff and community leaders are in schools to represent Indigenous students, their culture and knowledge.
“Education is without a doubt one of the most important journeys any person will embark on,’ he says. “With that comes a great deal of responsibility towards the next generation.
“Being fortunate enough to work in education while undertaking studies in the same field allows me to be able to see what I learn be enacted and practiced professionally.
“I want to be able to use everything I learn through higher education to become the best version of a teacher I can be.
“More than success, I want students to be able to enjoy their learning experiences in ways that can help them become active informed citizens of our country.”
Cameron says that becoming a teacher, and hopefully one day a school principal, will allow him to make change within the education system, particularly in curriculum work and policies.
“This vision will see Indigenous history and culture represented, respected and showcased in the way that we know that it deserves to be,” he says.
He says that from influential Indigenous musicians to local community leaders, he has been lucky to witness first-hand what it looks like and what it means to have long-lasting, positive impacts for Indigenous people and communities.
“It is because of this hard and continuous work that I have seen, and continue to see, that I believe I can contribute through education and being a role model to Indigenous students,” he says.