{"id":29565,"date":"2026-06-02T12:08:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T04:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/?p=29565"},"modified":"2026-06-04T13:01:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T05:01:48","slug":"from-homesick-beginnings-to-ocean-bound-purpose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/from-homesick-beginnings-to-ocean-bound-purpose\/","title":{"rendered":"From homesick beginnings to ocean-bound purpose"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Packing her bags and leaving her family behind to follow a childhood dream was never going to be easy for Curtin Marine Science graduate Brodie O\u2019Breza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were moments when it felt overwhelming, moments when she questioned whether she belonged, and whether she should keep going at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I moved up to Perth, it was really hard living on campus for the first few years,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI went home every weekend and even thought about dropping out in my first year.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But as the first in her family to attend university, she carried something deeper than doubt; there was a quiet determination to see it through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A proud Torres Strait Islander woman, Brodie grew up in Western Australia\u2019s Great Southern, between Pemberton and Manjimup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a strong connection to the natural world, it was the ocean that truly captured her heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Brodie
A young Brodie on a camping trip with her family.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Shaped by simple, treasured moments walking along the shoreline with her mum, collecting seashells and discovering the beauty hidden beneath the surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those early memories became the foundation of something much bigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now a Curtin graduate in Coastal and Marine Science, Brodie is driven by a clear sense of purpose – to give back to her homeland in the Torres Strait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would love to eventually work in the Torres Strait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo reconnect with my country and culture in person and contribute to the community would mean everything to me.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Along the way, Brodie has embraced opportunities that once felt out of reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being awarded the prestigious New Colombo Plan Scholarship<\/a> saw her travel to Fiji, where she undertook an internship supporting local marine communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"brodie
Brodie travelled to Fiji as part of the New Colombo Plan Scholarship.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt first, I couldn\u2019t even believe I had received it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut it taught me that when you feel scared or uncomfortable, that\u2019s often when you need to say yes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spending seven months abroad became a turning point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt made me feel like I could do anything,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo reconnect with my country and culture in person and contribute to the community would mean everything to me.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Brodie\u2019s dedication and impact earned her the 2024 Indigenous STEM Student of the Year<\/a> at the Premier\u2019s Science Awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"brodie
Brodie together with her family celebrating her graduation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Now, she is setting her sights on the next chapter – pursuing a master\u2019s in marine science, with the goal of joining the CSIRO Indigenous Graduate Program and returning to northern Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a journey that has come full circle from uncertainty to purpose, from homesickness to confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if there\u2019s one thing Brodie would tell her younger self, it\u2019s simple:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Say yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf an opportunity comes your way and you\u2019re unsure just do it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHave faith in yourself. You\u2019ll get to where you\u2019re meant to be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brodie O\u2019Breza<\/strong><\/a>, Marine Research Intern at <\/strong>TropWATER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graduating with a Bachelor of Science (Marine Science), Brodie is a proud Torres Strait Islander woman with family connections to Saibai Island. Brodie was named WA\u2019s Aboriginal STEM Student of the Year at the 2024 Premier\u2019s Science Awards. In addition to her academic achievements, Brodie has received multiple prestigious scholarships and has participated in various industry and international marine programs, including the New Colombo Plan Scholarship and CSIRO Indigenous Time at Sea Scholarship (ITSS). With a passion for marine science, Brodie aims to combine culture, science and research to strengthen Indigenous voices and representation in marine research.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Packing her bags and leaving her family behind to follow a childhood dream was never […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":161,"featured_media":29566,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","wds_primary_category":710,"footnotes":""},"categories":[710],"tags":[363,92,88,780,26,779,33],"class_list":["post-29565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-after-curtin","tag-career-advice","tag-curtin-alumni","tag-curtin-university-2","tag-homesick","tag-interview","tag-marine-science","tag-science"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29565"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29567,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29565\/revisions\/29567"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}