Destinies in marine science and medicine

Isaiah Kamid defied the doubters to pursue his own dreams to study medicine. Travelling through the education system as an Indigenous student, Isaiah was continually discouraged from pursuing his dream career in medicine.

Isaiah was born in the Western Australian town of Port Hedland and spent his childhood in the state’s northwest. 

“I always wanted to be a doctor,’’ he says. “My nanna was a nurse and one of my oldest memories is going with her to the hospital and hanging out with the doctors.” 

“In year 10, we talked to our teachers about what we wanted to do after school, and I mentioned that I was interested in health science and I’d like to become a doctor. But I was told my grades weren’t good enough and I was setting myself up to fail.” 

His was advised to choose a more “realistic and achievable” path, and so, after high school, Isiah worked in various ‘tradie’ jobs. He also had an opportunity to try out for the Western Force rugby team, but a recurring knee injury sidelined him permanently. 

“That was the final blow, and I took it pretty bad,’’ he said. 

“With my family’s encouragement, I decided to pursue a health-related career and enrolled in Curtin’s Enabling Course. I achieved a 95% average across eight units and was told about Curtin’s medicine course. I thought, this has to be fate.” 

“Receiving that call at 7am from Curtin Medical School offering me a placement is a moment I’ll never forget,’’ he said. 

Isaiah made the most of his opportunity and was awarded his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery in January 2023. 

Like Isiah, Brodie O’Breza, a Torres Strait Islander from Saibai Island, knew in her heart what she wanted to study.  

“My Torres Strait Islander culture definitely drew me to marine and environmental ecosystems at Curtin,” she explained. 

During her course, she completed a vacation program in the Pilbara, working alongside environmental advisors on dingo management, turtle monitoring and rehabilitation of native flora and protected species.  

In late 2023, Brodie was awarded a prestigious New Colombo Plan scholarship, which enabled her to undertake an internship in Fiji, focusing on conservation the country’s marine parks and remote islands. 

“I plan to then take this newfound knowledge and apply it to my own culture in the Torres Strait Islands,” she said.

To find out about Curtin University’s courses, visit curtin.edu/study.

This article was originally published here by The West on 8 July 2024.

Learn more about Isaiah and Brodie’s stories.