Saibai Island student’s higher education ambition

Support from family and Australian Government initiatives helped Adeah Kabi become the first student from Saibai Island in the Torres Strait to transition directly from Year 12 to university.

He shared his story as part of the Review of Higher Education Access and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People report, which was released last year. His story was also featured recently in the Closing the Gap: Prime Minister’s Report 2013.

Adeah is in his fourth year studying Civil Engineering at Central Queensland University in Rockhampton.

Through the Indigenous Cadetship Support Program, Adeah has a cadetship with Rio Tinto, and he is hoping to gain full time employment with the company in Weipa once he graduates in June.

The Indigenous Cadetship Support Program links full-time Indigenous students undertaking a diploma, an advanced diploma or their first undergraduate degree with employers who can give them work placements and ongoing employment once they finish their studies.

Adeah has also been gaining valuable work experience in the industry by working for Rio Tinto in the university holidays.

Adeah said higher education wasn’t part of his plan when he first started at boarding school, but a summer school he attended at 15 opened his eyes to the possibilities.

With 19 other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander science students, he was selected to attend the Indigenous Australian Engineering Summer School at the University of New South Wales. This experience gave him an understanding of and interest in engineering, and how it could help him and his community.

“Engineering could benefit the Islands, especially Saibai Island which is constantly getting inundated with water,” Adeah said.

“Using civil engineering, I can design sea walls and future projects that would hopefully help the Island and I could give back to the community.”