School of Social Sciences
UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture is now 100K alumni strong. We spoke with some of our alumni who are making the world a better place. Here are their stories.
Kodie’s path to social change
Kodie's story is deeply rooted in her upbringing in the La Perouse Aboriginal Reserve and Mission, one of the first in NSW. With seven generations of her family born and raised on the Reserve, Kodie was surrounded by community, giving her a strong sense of pride in her identity as a Dharawal, Ngarigo and Dunghutti woman from Kamay.
The Reserve also provided her with a firsthand experience of social policy's impact on a community. "I felt, witnessed and experienced the effects of policy, you know, the effects of bad policy and what that did to Aboriginal people, how that impacted my family and my community." Kodie comes from a strong line of leaders in the Aboriginal community, and hearing their stories and seeing their life's work made a lasting impression. "I wanted to make a difference," she says.
School
Degrees
Bachelor of Social Research & Policy (Indigenous Studies) 2023
Current Title
Policy Officer – NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group
Kodie Mason with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (image provided)
Her family instilled in her the importance of education as a powerful tool to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty. Inspired by her upbringing, she made education a priority. “It was instilled in me as a child, you know. Go get a good education. Go learn everything that you can, because education is the best way to end the cycle of poverty, which me and my family have been in."
Since graduating Kodie has worked as a dedicated Project Officer at the La Perouse Aboriginal Community Alliance and have recently accepted a role at Policy officer at NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Inc and continues to build her business Malima and work as a casual academic at UNSW. Kodie is continuing the work of community leaders before her, preserving Indigenous culture and knowledge through social policy, education and connection to community.
Gaining more than a degree
Kodie knew she wanted to pursue a degree that would allow her to impact her community positively. "With that life experience and the stories passed down to me," Kodie says, "it was really easy to choose my degree." However, finding a university that could offer what she was looking for was a challenge.
Kodie chose to undertake her undergraduate degree at UNSW because of the unique offering in social research and policy. "Social research and policy weren't really available anywhere else, and UNSW was the only university that had a degree in that area."
Nura Gili, the Centre for Indigenous Programs, was also paramount in Kodie's university experience. "My passion for education and learning was really brought out while I was here," she says. The Centre provided Kodie with invaluable support and connected her with like-minded Aboriginal students who became lifelong friends, some of whom, like Kodie, are also out in their communities creating change.
Kodie's passion for sharing her knowledge and lived experience has continued since completing her degree. This year, she was a guest lecturer for Indigenous Colonial Histories, a course she took during her degree. "My grandmother used to teach Aboriginal Studies subjects, so it was so meaningful for me to be able to come and share her colonial experience in Sydney and teach others about Indigenous engagement in the colonial economy," she says.
The opportunities Kodie experienced at UNSW extended beyond the classroom. She spontaneously attended a student-led society careers-based event on entrepreneurial skills and thought, "Oh, I could do this". Three weeks later, Malima was born, a business that facilitates Indigenous weaving and educational workshops. "Once I started using social media, it grew and grew. Now I've got five people that work with me. I've gotten to continuously come back and share knowledge through Malima for UNSW's Mental Health Month, Nura Gili and the ADA faculty."
UNSW gave me the tools that I needed to take back to my community to push for those changes in policy.
Impact in community
In her previous role as a Project Officer at La Perouse Aboriginal Community Alliance (a network of local Aboriginal community-controlled organisations), involved consults with the community to identify priorities for change, which the Aliance then advocate to government agencies who work to develop policy that make those priorities a reality.
Navigating the impacts of policy that does not centre on Indigenous voices remain an important part of her work and she sees a critical need for a consistent government strategy and policies that prioritise First Nations' priorities. Kodie explains, "The government's priorities have a real impact on what is actually able to be done in our community."
Kodie’s early experiences, passion for education and experience with community consultation has seen Kodie’s work move further into policy with her new role at Policy officer at NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Inc which will see Kodie’s work center around ensuring indigenous perspectives are embedded in our education and training across NSW.
Advice for students
Kodie urges those wanting to work in policy or community care to avoid imposing solutions on communities without genuine consultation. "In the past, policies have been forced on people, and it's clear they don't work,” she says.
With Aboriginal people, or any group you’re working with, get that data you’re building policy on to be coming from community first.
Celebrating 100K Alumni
Join us in celebrating the achievements of UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture alumni like Kodie Mason. Explore our Alumni stories of exploration, innovation and social change and learn more about our community.