And Ruth didn’t just walk away with a degree in hand; she was awarded the Community Work Australia Prize for Excellence providing an extra boost of confidence as she embarks on her next chapter working in case management with a focus on First Nations welfare.

“I was totally speechless when I opened the email from Charles Sturt; I read and re-read it and I just could not believe it,” Ruth said.

“For someone who never received a Year 10 School Certificate, here I was at 62 years of age graduating from Charles Sturt with a Bachelor of Human Services with an Australian Indigenous Welfare Degree with Distinction.”

Ruth has shone throughout her studies, having also received three Executive Dean Awards for Academic Excellence in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

“And now Charles Sturt is telling me that I, Ruth Davis, had won a Community Work Australia Prize for Excellence – it’s just unbelievable and so humbling,” she said.

Charles Sturt’s flexible online study options went a long way to supporting Ruth in achieving her academic goals, as she frequently flew between Geraldton in Western Australia for work and her home base in Newcastle.

“I studied totally online, and it was great because I was able to study all year round, including on my travels back and forth between WA and NSW,” Ruth said.

“Navigating the time difference caused a few hiccups here and there, though.

“I am so grateful for the Education Department in WA, and specifically my managers Daniel and Neil, for their support regarding study leave, which allowed me to attend lectures in real time.

“I also can’t forget to thank my trusty colleague Barbara, who collected the countless textbooks and Charles Sturt library books from the post office year after year!”

While Ruth had previously completed two Diplomas prior to her studies with Charles Sturt, she continued to seek more tertiary education qualifications.

“I never believed that I was good enough, though,” she said.

“It was my work in the education sector that inspired me to enrol in a Bachelor of Social Work at Charles Sturt in 2018, before transferring across to human services.

“The course was perfect; it was varied, and I just grew and grew in confidence through the support of my lectures and the incredible academic advisors.”

Ruth worked as a college manager where she was often troubled by the social issues and educational outcomes of First Nations students and their families.

“My Indigenous Australian Welfare subjects enabled me to shift my narrow white view of the world along with recognising my position of white power,” she said.

“Here I was thinking that my vast career history was enough; it was not.

“I now viewed myself as a white professional working in a government institution which, for First Nations people, had historically represented oppression and disadvantage.”

Her learnings opened a new world of awareness she no longer takes for granted.

“I also accepted that because my convict ancestors were granted land (stolen First Nations land) under Governor Macquarie when they arrived in the 1800s, it ultimately created intergenerational wealth for their descendants,” Ruth said.

“Consequently, this placed me in in a position of white privilege and power that I was never cognisant of.

“I also learned how powerful intuitions, like the family, church and education, had shaped my values and beliefs and, as such, I begun to understand how I saw ‘others’. It was just light bulb moment after light bulb moment for me as I began to see the world through a new lens.”

With this new perspective, Ruth continued to advocate for positive change in her community throughout her studies.

“It inspired me to challenge my colleagues and motivate First Nations students to complete their education, because education has the power to change the social narrative,” she said.

“This then leads to social change in their communities, creating better career options, housing, health and life outcomes for them and their families.”

As Ruth now embarks on her new journey in case management work, she has vowed to keep sight of the bigger picture issues.

“I walk lightly now and challenge the status quo whenever I can,” she said.

“I listen more and talk less when working with First Nations children and their families.

“I also apply my new knowledge when I think about or work with people from diverse cultural backgrounds, and just generally in everything I do.”