My name is Rebecca Fatnowna and I am a proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman working as a medical officer in North West Queensland.
I knew early on I wanted to give back to my people. It was through being a mentor and ambassador for the Remote and Indigenous Hockey Program in Cairns during high school that I began promoting career pathways, the importance of school attendance and healthy lifestyles. I applied for the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery course straight after high school and was very grateful to be accepted!
Then came the big move away from home in 2013 down to Townsville where I applied for the Indigenous Youth Mobility Program, hoping for some assistance with Uni and accommodation. Being a part of the program not only provided me with a roof over my head and all the essentials of a home away from home, it allowed me to meet like-minded students who have remained close friends ever since. I also owe it to the program for assisting me with the essentials for university such as textbooks and a laptop!
A couple of years into my degree I decided to become a bit more independent, along with some friends, and rented a share house. The support continued from IYMP both socially and financially. I had the chance to move back to cairns to complete my clinical years in 2017 at the Cairns Hospital and was transferred to IYMP Cairns. The support has continued right up until this day, graduating in 2019 and now being 2 months into full time work.
I am now a medical intern working at the Mount Isa Base Hospital, which is only the beginning of another journey, but “I can say 100% that it would not have been possible without the support of my family, friends and the Indigenous Youth Mobility Pathways project”.
I am very passionate about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and hope to give back to my people
as the community has done for me.
