Brooklyn Whitmore

When Brooklyn Whitmore lived in Pine Creek, a wave of suicides swept through, taking several young lives in its wake. She attended countless smoking ceremonies and funerals with parents paralysed by grief. She remembers the silence and shame that rose in response to this epidemic of trauma. The experience left a deep impression and became the foundation for her motivation to study.

“No one really spoke about it. It was difficult to comprehend as a child. I asked a million questions trying to make sense of it,” she recalls.

Brooklyn focused on becoming a lawyer, picking up part-time work at a local law firm in Gympie. But when her university offers didn’t go as planned, a frank yarn with her dad helped clarify what she ultimately wanted: to help others in a nurturing, empathetic and personal way. Griffith’s Bachelor of Psychology and Criminology and Criminal Justice double degree was the perfect match.

Brooklyn—the eldest of seven, a proud Dharug woman and the first in her family to go to university—had found her purpose. But her path to university has been one of continuous financial struggle.

Unable to afford textbooks, she was forced to rely on short loans and late nights at the library—until a Brighter Futures Scholarship changed everything.

“The scholarship has made a huge difference to my wellbeing. I can afford my own textbooks and the specialised software we use for statistics. I study at home when it suits me.

“With the financial pressure off my shoulders, my head can think straight. My mind isn’t constantly fretting about how I’m going to pay for this or how I’ll get through that situation.”

As a result, Brooklyn has been able to start giving back through a cadetship with the Way Forward program, operating out of Metro South Health’s Addiction and Mental Health Services unit.

“We deliver a culturally informed approach to improving mental health and addiction outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and strive for culturally safe patient care that acknowledges difference and responds accordingly,” she says.

Because of her Brighter Futures Scholarship, she says, “I can focus on this incredible cadetship and be able to afford my travel costs without struggling each week.”

With about a year left on her undergraduate studies (with honours), Brooklyn next wants to complete a masters in psychology before undertaking a PhD to explore how to incorporate musical therapy into her professional practice. And, she says, that’s just the beginning.

“I want to eventually have my own multidisciplinary team—and travel to remote communities, delivering culturally appropriate, high-quality health care.”