Now in her second year studying law at Murdoch, Kyanna is not only rewriting her own story – she’s striving to transform the face of justice in Australia.  

“I want to lift up Aboriginal voices, protect human rights, and contribute to meaningful social change,” she says. 

A strong moral compass and a recognised lack of Aboriginal lawyers led her to study law. Her vision to become a practicing lawyer and be the change she wants to see is what keeps her there. 

It’s an ambition that reflects her strength and perseverance, after arriving at university having never enjoyed her earlier education. 

“I wasn’t the best student or most focused student – essentially, I didn’t enjoy school,” Kyanna says. 

“I was dealing with some racism from a few teachers and students, whether they would call it that or not, that’s what it was.  

I often butted heads with teachers because I would call out wrongs in their teaching, especially when it came to topics on my people, or just classroom behaviours.

 While this tendency to lock horns at school would hold her in good stead for her later studies, it made high school challenging, and she ended up dropping out in year 11 to take up full-time work. 

It was only when she came across Kulbardi Aboriginal Centre’s bridging course, K-Track, that she rediscovered her ability and ambition for formal education. 

“I ended up being accepted into the bridging course and it was probably the best thing I have ever done for myself,” Kyanna says.  

I didn’t think there were people like me, who come from the same or similar backgrounds, at university until I came to Kulbardi.  

Here, she recognised that her sense of justice and love for an argument had a productive place in the world – law. It was somewhere she felt she could contribute to wider social change, too.  

“My whole life I have had a strong moral compass for what is right and what is wrong,” Kyanna says. 

“Along with my own lived experiences and the lack of Aboriginal people in the legal profession, this guided me to studying law.” 

What once might have seemed a far-off possibility has quickly become a reality within grasp for the aspiring human rights lawyer, in no small part due to the community she’s found ready to support her in that mission. 

“There are people who will stand in your corner and support you, with everything that they have got,” Kyanna says.  

“You just have to find those people, and when you find them, don’t let them go.” 

With a growing network of mentors and peers behind her, and a deep sense of purpose driving her forward, she’s determined to make space for more Indigenous voices in the legal system. 

“I want to be part of a system that listens, that respects, and that changes,” she says. 
 
“And I want other mob to know: you belong here too.”  

 
Kyanna’s story is part of a series on young leaders for NAIDOC Week 2025. The theme of this year’s celebration is The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy.