Article written by Sera-Lyn Terare.
It’s that time of year again. The time when the universities celebrate the new graduates. At Griffith University, those graduations have already begun with the Gold Coast graduation ceremonies last week and the Brisbane ceremonies beginning this Friday.
Among this year’s graduates is an Indigenous man by the name of Byron Albury.
Byron Albury isn’t just a Griffith student, he is my friend. He has inspired not just myself, but many other people over the years. He has a heart of gold and helps his friends to the best of his ability, and not just that, he has fought negativity from not just the society that we live in today, but also the inner negativity. However, he has managed to fight off that negativity long enough for him to complete an undergraduate degree.
Byron Albury began his education journey at Griffith University in 2013 in a Bachelor of Law degree, which he did for two and half years before he got really sick and had to withdraw for health reasons. However, in 2014, he made the decision to come back to university and leave his Law degree to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree. With the help of a Learning Assistance officer with the Gumurrii Unit, he was able to enrol in the Bachelor of Arts program with a major in both Sociology and Indigenous Studies.
Now, for many people, university isn’t without its problems. As a university student myself, I have found that it’s more difficult than most people think, but for Byron it was a little more difficult for most. You see, Byron has a physical disability and had many negative comments whispered about him throughout his time at university.
I had the chance to sit down with Byron and ask him about his time at Griffith University. When I asked him, he told me, “I have thought many times about leaving university and not coming back but without the support from the university, Gumurri and the few friends that I do have, I wouldn’t have gotten this far.”
Byron speaks fondly of his grandmother, who he says is the reason he decided to apply and enrol in a Bachelor’s degree. He tells me that he remembers the exact words that she said to him when he was five years old, “You can amount to anything that you want to be.” Byron still stands by this advice to this day, and has given me the exact same advice multiple times over the three years that I have known him.
Byron is one of two members of his family who have graduated from a university, with the other being his cousin who graduated from a business/finance degree. When asked if he was excited for his graduation this weekend, he replied with, “You damn right I am.”
Byron has expressed interest in life after graduation, with plans to come back to Griffith University to complete post-graduation studies by completing his honours. Byron is a man who likes to help and inspire the Indigenous community and would like people to know that it doesn’t matter where you are in your life, if you have a dream then you can achieve that dream.
Byron Albury is one of the first Indigenous Griffith graduates to graduate from university with a disability.
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