Mikayla King being presented with the 'New Indigenous Voice' in Education Leadership Award.
ECU staff member and alumna Mikayla King has been awarded the 'New Indigenous Voice' in Education Leadership Award at the Australian Council for Educational Leaders National ceremony. The award recognises an aspiring educational leader who exemplifies forward-thinking, relevant and responsive practice, and shows a strong commitment to elevating emerging voices in education.
Ms King has also been awarded the 'Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Postgraduate Student Researcher Award' at the Australian Association for Educational Research (AARE) conference on 2 December for her outstanding paper, celebrated for its originality, timely relevance and significant scholarly contribution.
The paper explores the violence within schooling, analysing affective infrastructures and the vital, nuanced work undertaken by teachers. Ms King is a proud Kalkadoon woman born and raised on Whadjuk Country and has dedicated her life to Aboriginal education. She is no stranger to success, being the recipient of the ECU Young Alumni Commendation in 2023. Having worked across various roles in education for over a decade, Ms King is currently a lecturer at ECU's Kurongkurl Katitjin, working as the year 4/5 Teacher part time at a local primary school and is the founder and owner of an Aboriginal education consultancy. In addition, she volunteers in various capacities to support the leadership development of young people in the state-wide community.
Mikayla King presenting her research.
"This award is recognition and affirmation of my commitment to the profession and in supporting all educators to develop responsive, high-quality teaching practices that benefit all children. This is important work that greatly benefits those far beyond my immediate sphere, where I work to advocate for the rights of children to access an education," Ms King said.
"I feel proud, in particular, to be an alumna of the School of Education because of our strong history of teacher education, but also our success and high quality of teachers."
She believes that a deeper understanding of the collaborative nature of education can be a vehicle for change.
"Given that education is a collaborative role, I think it's really important that we position ourselves both as the teacher and also as the learner in our professional careers," she said.
"Leadership to me is the consistent endeavour to empower, mentor and provide opportunities for the growth of self and those around you."
Ms King has a strong commitment to ensuring her research translates into practice and recently presented her findings at the Australian Council for Educational Leadership National Conference, which has allowed her to access a network to disseminate her research even further.
Both awards strengthen Ms King's platform to advocate for Culturally Responsive Schooling, which is freely accessible as a web-based resource for school leaders and educators.
