Indigenous year 12 student Nikarla Kirby says that Korin Gamadji Institute camps have been integral to her growth and development through her late high school years.
Speaking from Punt Road Oval - the ambitious teenager told of her exciting future and connection to culture.
Nikarla was one of the outstanding Indigenous secondary school students identified as a potential leader from her school that was nominated for the four-day Richmond Emerging Aboriginal Leadership (REAL) camp.
Their schools nominate each participant for being a great student and an excellent role model in their community.
As part of the camp, Nikarla and her old and new connections then engaged in interactive sessions focusing on leadership, cultural awareness, health and nutrition, goal setting, and active citizenship.
"I'm learning to be more myself and trying to grow, which is why I really love doing the KGI camps. This is my second one. Coming here helps me break out of my shell," she said.
Nikarla comes from a young Mildura family passionate about learning, growing, and reconnecting with their heritage.
"I'm a Barkindji girl. I've lived in Mildura my whole life, I grew up there, and I live with my mum, dad, and two little brothers. They're twins, so they're really fun because they're five years younger than me."
"Mum is not Aboriginal, it's just my dad, but we always talk about issues, and we can see where the community lacks growth in certain areas. We are really focused on growth and learning about self-development.
"It's important to me to stay connected and to learn language. We know ourselves; we believe that Indigenous people think differently and understand things differently, and sometimes it's hard to grow up in a world where your mentality is a bit different."
Growing up without many people close in age to look up to, Nikarla has a strong appreciation for the mentors at the KGI camps.
"I'm the oldest kid and oldest grandchild, so it was hard not having any older role models besides my parents, aunts, and uncles. I never had anyone near my age to learn from," she said.
"I feel like I've grown so much in my confidence and knowing who I am just from the last KGI camp. Last time I barely would speak, and now I always wanted to interact. I feel like KGI has taught me to speak up and say what's on my mind."
The camp included interactive sessions from Richmond's major partners, including NIB, Latitude, and Swinburne University. The sessions allow the kids to learn about potential career pathways and opportunities beyond high school.
"It's nice to meet more people and learn about the different opportunities I can get," Nikarla explained.
"Sometimes you hear about opportunities, but it's hard to feel like you can actually get involved in anything. But these camps always have mentors and people from different institutions to teach us about how important it is to use these opportunities and how they can help you."
Nikarla is a successful and very involved year twelve student, participating in numerous team sports and currently completing a traineeship at NAB as part of her Certificate III in Business.
She also studies Certificate III in Fitness, VCE English, VCE Psychology, and VCE Sociology.
While not entirely set on what she wants to do after high school, and considering a gap year, sticking to her values and passions is important to her in whatever path she takes.
"I'm really into mindset, growth, and healthy lifestyle and fitness. I do really like psychology at the moment, but I'm not sure I'd want to jump straight in there after school."
"With my traineeship, they said I could work at NAB after school, so I think I'll do that for a bit. I also work part-time at a gym at the moment, just doing reception, but once I finish my Cert III in fitness, I can also do gym floor activities and health assessments, which is exciting.
"If I could do something like my own business talking about fitness and lifestyle to help people develop themselves, that would be cool.
"At the moment, I'm just too occupied with keeping up with school, working, and playing sports that I just want to enjoy what I'm doing at the moment. It's important to enjoy what you're doing and know what you're working towards."
Nikarla will certainly be a KGI alum to follow closely over the coming years, and everyone at KGI is excited to see what she will do.
