Student Ambassador to tour world’s best universities

An outstanding Indigenous Student Ambassador at Charles Darwin University has been selected to visit some of the world’s top universities as part of a study tour in October.

Nathan Canuto will attend the Aurora Indigenous Scholars International Study Tour for students who are considering postgraduate studies in the United States or the United Kingdom.

The Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology) student said he wanted to work in the area of developing Indigenous education strategies once he graduated.

He said he planned to focus on programs that aimed to increase student retention numbers, along with engagement and successful completion of school.

“To me, education is the foundation of development and opportunity,” Nathan said.

“It enables you to develop solutions to new and existing problems, from those personal to those global in nature, and also enables you to challenge inequality and injustice.”

On the study tour, Nathan will visit top psychology universities such as Harvard, Oxford, Berkeley, Stanford, Columbia, New York, and Cambridge. Tour participants will have opportunities to sit in on lectures and have one-on-one meetings with professors and administration staff.

“Our textbooks are littered with past psychologists who have studied at Harvard and Stanford, so I am really looking forward to visiting these universities,” he said.

Nathan said he was also honoured to have recently won the Top End National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Scholar of the Year award. The Australian Centre for Indigenous Knowledges and Education (ACIKE) nominated him for the award.

“The support ACIKE and the Indigenous Academic Support staff has provided me with has definitely contributed to my success at university to date,” Nathan said.

“They are very approachable and supportive and give Indigenous students every opportunity to succeed.”

Along with working as a CDU Indigenous Student Ambassador, Nathan is also a mentor and tutor at Kormilda College, and is on the board of Indigenous Allied Health Australia. He has volunteered for numerous events and organisations during the past five years.

ACIKE is a collaborative partnership between Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education and Charles Darwin University.