Lana Draper is a Ngiyampaa and Barkindji woman and one of WIC鈥檚 2020 graduates.
Returning to university after graduating with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy in 1999, Lana completed a Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Trauma Recovery Practice in order to expand her skill set and improve her abilities in her full-time work as an occupational therapist.
鈥淚 work with a whole heap of psychologists who are doing clinical masters and all that so I thought 鈥極h Lana, you鈥檝e got to lift your game! You鈥檝e gotta get some more papers!鈥欌��
鈥淎nd I鈥檇 been thinking about uni for a long time, about going back. I thought you know what? This is a six-month course, that鈥檒l give me a test run to see whether it鈥檚 doable or not.鈥�
Even while maintaining her full-time job, taking care of her family, and studying online, Lana found that it was not only doable but doable with an overall High Distinction for the course.
鈥淚 was worried about the quality of work I was going to be able to produce. The work was such a high cognitive load, and then having to tend to kids, cook dinner and all the usual running of the house, sitting down at 8.30 at night to start uni I was like, I don鈥檛 know how I鈥檓 going to be able to produce a good quality piece of work.鈥�
鈥淪o for me, the highlight was getting a High Distinction for my final course mark, I was so happy with that.鈥�
Lana鈥檚 also found that what she learnt throughout the course has already benefitted not only her but her coworkers at the Department of Communities and Justice as well.
鈥淚t鈥檚 given me a greater perspective on using cultural practices in my therapy and actually inviting others in the team to use cultural practices in their sessions.鈥�
鈥淧ractices like yarning. [Psychologists] all go in with their bit of paper full of questions they want to ask, and I understand that that鈥檚 part of the process, but also sometimes just sit down and having a yarn with them. You know, who are you as a person as opposed to who are you that I need to find out about for my report writing?鈥�
Although she鈥檚 now back to her regular full-time job, Lana plans to continue in academia after receiving a full scholarship to study a Graduate Diploma in Indigenous Health Promotion at the University of Sydney this August. She鈥檚 also exploring the possibility of undertaking a PhD in the future.
To current and future WIC students, Lana鈥檚 advice is to utilise the supports that are available.
鈥淕ive yourself time to access people like Joel, who was so so helpful. It鈥檚 hard when you鈥檙e online to gauge where you鈥檙e sitting within the rest of your group. Are you average, are you below average? It was important for me to get that feedback from Joel and say 鈥楴o, you鈥檙e actually bang on, and you鈥檝e done it really well,鈥� or say 鈥榊ou need to work on that a little bit more.鈥� That was invaluable.鈥�