Alison Nannup – PTS Graduate and Bachelor of Indigenous Languages & Linguistics student

“Learning about both-ways really stood out for me.  At school I kept my culture to myself as I was scared of being judged.  In PTS I fitted in and with the both-ways approach I was encouraged to share and it was like my knowledge was unlocked from within me.  The oral presentations helped to draw out my cultural knowledge; using that tradition of verbal communication and story-telling I believe.”

“I always wanted to go to uni but I didn’t know what I wanted to study, I didn’t know where my passion was.   I started going to Noongar language classes and I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do.  I had really hit a brick wall.”

“It was my language teacher Denise Smith-Ali who sparked the interest in linguistics because she went right into the Noongar orthography and the history of the revitalisation of the Noongar language.  Denise was pushing me as she could see I had a gift for languages; I can speak several languages.  Denise recommended ACIKE as she had done her linguistics degree at Batchelor Institute.  Denise put me in touch with Sarah (Academic Advisor) who told me I would have to do PTS first.  I was a bit sad and I wondered if that meant I was not good enough to go to uni.”

“But then Catherine (PTS Course Coordinator) got in touch with me and gave me all the information about PTS and helped me get enrolled.  Catherine told me that if I did the degree straight off it was like being thrown in the deep end.  I understood what she was saying as I had seen first year students at UWA really struggling.”

“I’ve finished PTS and now I’m studying the Bachelor of Indigenous Language and Linguistics (BILL) which feels awesome to be finally working towards my dream.  I’m not thinking about how long it will take; I’m just concentrating on the end when it will all be worth it.  I keep thinking about graduation day and how the dancers lead all the graduates out – I have that visual in my head.”

The Institute has a free call line to assist Indigenous people to find out more about Preparation for Tertiary Success (PTS): 1800 677 095 or visit www.acike.edu.au/pts. The friendly Student Support staff are always there to help students.

Alternatively you can contact ACIKE directly on Freecall 1800 061 963 or email: study@acike.edu.au