TOLD in her youth that she would never make a career for herself, Emma Myers overcame the negative voices she almost believed would lay out her future.
The 30-year-old from Pokolbin lives with cerebral palsy and despite the stigma surrounding her abilities, she went on to break barriers studying with the University of Newcastle's Open Foundation program, graduating with her honours in the Arts.
"There were so many different avenues and services I encountered during my younger years that kind of said 'you don't need to go to university'," she said.
"I was told 'you'll end up having a low paying job or be a check-out girl' - which is fine - but they didn't have any confidence in my abilities as a human being."
Ms Myers said she was discouraged from pursuing an ATAR, because "people assumed it wasn't needed".
"This sense of discouragement came from all different areas at the same time and that was really hard to take."
Now living in Canberra, Ms Myers works as a disability rights and political reporter, and on Thursday night, September 12, she was honoured with a Young Alumni Award at the 2024 University of Newcastle Alumni Excellence Awards.
"I've always felt passionate about promoting the lives of people with disabilities. Media plays a large part in how people see me as a person with disability and often those assumptions are not really correct," she said.
"I thought the best way to educate the public was to get my face in the media. Media is such a powerful tool."
The recognition comes after Ms Myer wrote Latecomers, the critically acclaimed 2022 SBS Digital Originals series, while also studying her honours year, drawing on her experiences of living with cerebral palsy.
She said receiving the award felt surreal and that she often suffered impostor syndrome.
"I know I've done quite a lot of work, it just doesn't feel like I'm up there with the greats even though I'm getting all of these opportunities. But I'm so thrilled at the same time and very proud of myself," she said.
The awards were held inside the university's Great Hall where nine recipients were chosen for their achievements and community contributions.
Vice-chancellor Alex Zelinsky said it was an honour to welcome an outstanding group of alumni back to Newcastle and celebrate the impact they are having in communities at a local, national and international level.
"We have 176,000 alumni spanning 154 countries across the globe, and these awards are a fantastic opportunity to shine a light on the amazing work our alumni are doing in their respective fields," he said.
"With physicists, health advocates, business leaders and creatives, these awards demonstrate that success with a University of Newcastle degree is possible across a diverse range of areas."
Award winners
The Hon Kevin Lindgren AM KC FAAL - The Alumni Medal
Miriam Allan - Newton-John Alumni Medal
Emeritus Professor John O'Conor - Convocation Medal for Exceptional Contribution
Dr Geordan Shannon - International Leadership Award
Swati Dave - National Leadership Award
Dr Sarah Goddard - Indigenous Alumni Award
Dr Sarah Dineen Griffin - Beryl Nasher Young Researcher Award
Emma Jane Myers - Young Alumni Award
Brendan Swift - Alumni Award for Outstanding Volunteerism
