Jessa Rogers

Jessa Rogers (née Smith born 7 April 1985) is an Aboriginal Australian education leader and Fulbright Scholar ^[1] currently based between Melbourne and Queensland.

Early life and education

Rogers is a member of the Wiradjuri people and was born in Canberra, Australia.^[2] Her family moved to Sunshine Coast, Queensland, where Rogers attended local schools before going on to complete degrees at Queensland University of Technology, University of Southern Queensland, and Australian National University.^[3][4][5]

Career

Rogers is an Indigenous scholar and teacher who is recognised as an advocate for education reform in Australia.^[6][7] Rogers argues for the need for schools to be more inclusive of Indigenous cultures in their curriculum, and the need for more Indigenous teachers in Australian schools.^[8]

In 2015, Rogers was appointed the inaugural Principal of the Cape York Girl Academy, Australia's first boarding school for young mothers and their babies.^[9][10] Rogers' passion for supporting the education of teenage mothers is based on her own experience as a Year 12 student who fell pregnant and gave birth to a son ten days before graduating from secondary school.^[11] She has a PhD in Indigenous Education from the Australian National University.^[12]

Rogers is currently First Nations Senior Research Fellow at Queensland University of Technology^[13] and managing director of Baayi Consulting^[14] having previously held academic appointments at a number of universities including the University of Canberra,^[15] Macquarie University, the University of the Sunshine Coast, and Australian National University.^[16][17] She is a member of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia,^[18] the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Strategy Group, ^[19] and a member of the Australian Aboriginal Studies Journal editorial board.^[20]

In 2024, Rogers was appointed by the Albanese Government to serve on the Regional Telecommunications Review Panel. ^[21]

Awards

Rogers was the NAIDOC Young Person of the Year in 2010, and won the Reconciliation Award at the Australian National University in 2014, and the Minoru Hokari Scholarship in 2015.^[22][23] She was a finalist for ACT Young Woman of the Year in 2016, and won the 2016 Queensland University of Technology Young Alumnus of the Year Award.^[24] In 2017, Rogers was as a Fulbright Scholar based in the Native American Program at Harvard University^[25] and in 2018 was appointed a Churchill Fellow.^[26]

References

1. Verass, Sophie. "Expert in Indigenous education set to study at Harvard University". sbs.com.au. SBS. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
2. "Podmore Foundation Announces Guest Speaker Jessa Rogers for Spring Lunch 2015". podmorefoundation.org. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
3. "NAIDOC Profile: Jessa Rogers". www.naidoc.org.au. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
4. "Jessa's journey - Deadly Vibe". Deadly Vibe. May 2014. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
5. "News". QUT. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
6. "EducationHQ Australia - Smith committed to her kids". au.educationhq.com. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
7. "USQ links youths with local heritage - University of Southern Queensland". www.usq.edu.au. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
8. Price, Kaye (29 June 2015). Knowledge of Life: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781316381472.
9. Bateman, Daniel (21 January 2016). "Australia's first Boarding School for Young Mums and Bubs". The Cairns Post.
10. "Executive Leadership". capeyorkpartnership.org.au. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
11. Corporation, Australian Broadcasting (March 2011). "Why Jessica Smith became 2010 Naidoc Youth of the Year". Conversations with Richard Fidler. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
12. Rogers, Jessa (2016). "Boarding School Business: The Voices of Aboriginal Girls Attending Boarding Schools". doi:10.25911/5d626f0c42a3f. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
13. "Academic profiles - Dr Jessa Roger's".
14. "Baayi Consulting". www.baayiconsulting.com. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
15. "AsstProf Jessa Rogers". University of Canberra. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
16. "ANU Spaces - Jessa Rogers". ANU. 20 November 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
17. "Why Australia needs more Indigenous educators". www.mq.edu.au. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
18. "Members of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia". 15 July 2021.
19. "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Strategy". 15 July 2021.
20. "AASJ". 15 July 2021.
21. "NFF welcomes new panel to review regional connectivity". 2 March 2024.
22. "Jessa's journey - Deadly Vibe". Deadly Vibe. May 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
23. "The Minoru Hokari Scholarship - School of History". history.cass.anu.edu.au. 17 March 2010. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
24. "QUT Outstanding Alumni Awards".
25. . Archived from the original on 23 March 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
26. . Archived from the original on 23 March 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.