Outstanding Alumnus of the Year Award (October 2025)

Dr Hope O’Chin graduated with a PhD in 2021 and is a proud Kabi Kabi/Wakka Wakka/Gugu Yalanji and Koa woman. A visionary leader, educator, and artist, she founded The Hope Dreaming Foundation which is behind the establishment of the Hope Dreaming Information Centre. In partnership with state and local government, the Centre promotes First Nations’ living traditions to preserve culture and language. Volunteering six days a week, her work spans curriculum design, language revitalisation, and community engagement, including projects with schools, hospitals, and galleries. Her acclaimed book ‘An Epistemology of Belongingness’ offers a framework for embedding Indigenous ways of being and doing. Hope is also an ethical consultant on many advisory boards, including an Elder-in-Residence at UniSC, where she led decolonising education initiatives. Through art, education, and advocacy, Dr O’Chin has profoundly impacted cultural sustainability as well as inclusive learning across generations.