JCU welcomes next generation through Indigenous Winter School
More than 100 students have enjoyed a taste of university life at this week’s JCU Indigenous Winter School Program.
Staying at the Bebegu Yumba campus in Douglas, year 10, 11 and 12 students have been immersed in university life through hands-on experiences in lectures, workshops and other team-building activities.
Students travelled from across Queensland and as far as New South Wales and Victoria for the week-long program, which showcases multiple disciplines, including Chemistry, Medicine, Nursing, Allied Health, Social Work, Marine Biology, Maths, Science and Indigenous Knowledge.
The hugely successful outreach program is now in its eighth year and JCU Deputy Vice Chancellor Indigenous Education & Strategy Professor Martin Nakata said it plays a vital role in helping students see a future for them at university.
“Winter School gives students the chance to take part in academic and team-building activities, and more importantly, they get to see themselves with capacity to become future university students,” Prof Nakata said.
“The program builds confidence in their learning capacity and shows them they already carry strengths that belong in this space.
“We are committed to walking alongside students from their first visit to Winter School through to their university graduation.
“We don’t just welcome them into the program, we stand with them every step of the way, with unwavering commitment through to the completion of their degrees.”
Indigenous Winter School participants chose a discipline of interest and have spent the past week living on campus and experiencing what it’s like to study in those fields, while being supported by mentors.
2025 participant Tyrell Viti from Thursday Island heard about the program from guidance counsellors and friends at Tagai State College and said he has enjoyed his taste of studying law, which he hopes to pursue full time next year.
“I want to study law so I can give back to my community in the law space, and really help my people continue to break down barriers,” he said.
“This week we’ve studied court cases, got to go to lectures, interviewed police, finalised paperwork and learned how to set bail arraignments.
“I like everything about the atmosphere here at JCU, there’s great support and after Winter School is done I will go back to school and start my university applications.”
Kesharn Sands-Hart from Hopevale, who is a year 12 student boarder at St Xavier’s College in Toowoomba, was back at Winter School for the second year in a row and said she hopes to study nursing at JCU.
“When I finish year 12, I would like to study nursing at JCU in Cairns next year,” she said.
“After caring for people while they are sick and making them feel better, it makes me feel like a better person as well.
“There’s a lot of new faces at Winter School this year, I’m making some great friends and it’s great to have this support from mentors and see what studying at JCU is going to be like.”
The program will wrap up at Thursday’s graduation ceremony, with hopes this cohort will add to the significant number of students who go on to enrol at JCU – a tremendous outcome that highlights the long-term impact of this initiative.