The Arts Honours graduate with global ambitions and a surprising superpower

First Class Bachelor of Arts (Honours) graduate, Ethan Taylor, a Paata-Warumungu man, is firmly focussed on advancing his future academic career. Having been shortlisted for a Rhodes Scholarship (an accolade he just missed) Ethan is determined to follow his dreams of further overseas study, get his work published and become a globally recognised researcher.

Ethan Taylor“I have a few essays that I’m polishing, and I’d love to have one accepted by a peer-reviewed journal.  I also plan on turning these essays into easy-to-read articles to pitch to newspapers.”

As his academic journey progresses, Ethan believes that “One can become stuck in a philosophical/ideological bubble” and he is determined to experience how another part of the world ‘does philosophy’ by studying in the UK in 2022.

Ethan’s pathway to academic success is a personal story of fierce conviction and determination.  Born into a working-class Aboriginal family from Alice Springs, he grew up in a small country town in Western Australia.  He adapted well to University study but was initially surprised that its perfectly acceptable to have a different outlook to one of your Professors – “You can have a different opinion as long as you back it up.  This was a revelation to me.  I wish more people had encouraged me to develop independent thoughts earlier.”

On advice he would give to other young indigenous people about starting off at University, “Do a couple of philosophy units.  Trust me you won’t regret it.  You will gain skills and knowledge that will enrich your life, and you will be allergic to dogma – which is all too important in this day and age.”

As well as excelling in his studies, Mr Taylor has spent the past four years building a successful not-for-profit, hosted two national student conferences, coordinated a national network of Indigenous mental health advocates, worked in remote communities to grow Aboriginal electoral participation, and help to shape new gambling policy.

Reflecting on how his Bachelor is Arts has helped him in his working life, he says; “Two of the outcomes you gain from an Art’s degree are the ability to read fast, think quick, think well, and respond.  When I was working as the Director of a not-for-profit, I realised that the quicker I could think critically about information and respond to it in writing, the better I would be in my job.  After realising this, I truly started to appreciate my Art degree.”

Ethan has proudly won a number of University scholarships including the prestigious Indigenous Futures Scholars Award in 2021.

But the most surprising thing to learn about this future star researcher is his modesty.  “I’m not a naturally intelligent person, I wouldn’t consider myself a gifted student.  That’s not my superpower.  My superpower is that I work hard to help others and I keep moving forward – no matter what.”

Ethan’s plans to study in the UK are well advanced and he is looking forward to getting comfortable with the small things in life such as “walking into a pub and ordering a pint.”

More Information

Charles Jackson

charles.jackson@unimelb.edu.au