Lee Ming Tee Indigenous Scholarship: supporting undergraduate students

Established in 2018, this university-wide scholarship is funded by the LEE Ming Tee Foundation to assist Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander students to achieve their study goals. It supports students for three years by paying their tuition fees and college accommodation.

We caught up with Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws student, Mia Walsh, one of three student Indigenous scholarship recipients to hear about her first-year highlights and how the scholarship has helped her in achieving study success.  

The experience of my first year completing a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws has been insightful, exciting and challenging. It has been a lot of hard work, but despite this, I’ve been able to explore many legal issues in the world. I’ve applied the principles of cases and legislation to solve problems, critique legal issues and provide advice. It is very satisfying to learn how to help everyday people with real-world problems.

The best subject has been ‘Criminal and Civil Procedures.’ During some weeks of this course, we learned how to evaluate the inequities that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people face in the criminal justice system – an area I feel very passionate about. 

This year, I was selected to be on the Sydney University Law Society’s First Nations Committee. Through this, I’ve been able to connect with other Indigenous law students, academic advisors and legal practitioners who work in our communities. 

Since last year, I’ve been doing a legal internship with the Department of Environment. In this role, I undertake paralegal work, go on field trips and interview witnesses. I’ve also established a mentorship with my manager, Kirsty Ruddock, who is someone I look up to because she has significant career experience in human rights, environmental law and Native Title.