Meet Rebecca Mabo-Cohen, a proud Dunghutti, Meriam, South Sea Island woman. She is currently in her second year completing a Bachelor of Nursing & Bachelor of Midwifery at Monash University.
At NNT, we want to acknowledge the incredible contribution these people make to our communities, the challenges they face and the essential work they do, every single day.
Q. Why did you decide to become a midwife?
A. I have always been fascinated and intrigued by the phenomenon of pregnancy, which led me to pursue higher education in order to become a midwife.
Q. Who are those around you that have empowered you to study midwifery?
A. I have been very fortunate to have many strong female role models in my life. Seeing what my grandmother and mother are capable of has really empowered me. The best advice my mother ever gave me was: ‘you can achieve anything you put your mind to’.
Q. What motivates you?
A. I have always felt a sense of duty to my people but wasn’t too sure what the best way I could help was. I feel there is a real need for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healthcare workers. Unfortunately, there is still a large disparity in health care outcomes between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. This isn’t just a statistic for me, this is a reality that I have witnessed first-hand, and something needs to change. I also really want to be a positive role model to other women and hopefully help empower & foster the next generation of strong female role models.
Q. How do you find balance in life?
A. Self-care is very important; I think simply checking in with yourself and listening to your body is essential to finding balance in life. I also try not to sweat the little things.
Q. What challenges do you face and how do you overcome them?
A. I think returning to full-time study as a mature-aged student was quite a challenge. I felt what people describe as imposter syndrome, meaning I felt I wasn’t good enough or didn’t belong on a university campus. To overcome that I really applied myself and celebrated a lot of the small victories - and just tried to have fun.
Q. What do you think your superpower is?
A. I think maybe my smile. It’s been a very useful tool in many situations in life and the best part is that I share the same smile as my mother.