Jessa Rogers | Lecturer, Indigenous Studies, Faculty of Arts
How long have you been at Macquarie?
I started mid-2015.
How do you get to campus?
Luckily for me I teach online, so I am often in Queensland, New Zealand, Canberra or Sydney.
What is your favourite thing about working at Macquarie?
The Indigenous masters options online. I completed a masters while teaching full-time and it was so helpful, especially with children at home.
Favourite place to spend a spare five minutes at Macquarie?
Outside, enjoying the sunshine.
What are the biggest misconceptions about your profession?
That Indigenous education is really difficult, about behavioural and social issues and problems. It’s so much more than that, it’s also about amazing cultural strengths and teaching non-Indigenous people about our Australian First Peoples.
In your job, what question are you most often asked?
Why was I not taught this sooner? I see a lot of people feeling disheartened and disappointed in our education system lacking Indigenous perspectives, histories, cultures and peoples.
If you weren’t a lecturer, what would you do?
I would be a school principal.
What was your earliest childhood career aspiration?
My earliest memory of having a career aspiration was wanting to be a nurse in grade two. I think I liked the nurse outfit in the dress-up box at school! I liked the idea of helping people. By the end of primary school, I decided I wanted to become a teacher.
Favourite film, book or TV show?
I love the show Madam Secretary, and my favourite films include Charlie’s Country, Rabbit Proof Fence and other Aboriginal films helping to educate mainstream Australia on important Indigenous issues.
What is the piece of technology you can’t live without?
My iPhone.
What would you want to learn if given the chance to learn it instantly?
I wish I had continued singing and dancing lessons. I would love to learn both instantly.
Is there a question you’d like to be asked?
What is the meaning of life? My answer is to learn, and to love.
What were you doing before you started these questions?
I was transcribing interviews for my PhD!