Jye was just like any other kid walking the streets of Coffs Harbour, dreaming of what his sporting future would look like.
Fast forward to now, the 17-year-old is meeting sporting stars like Adam Goodes, Angus Crichton, and Nicholas Hynes in the hustle and bustle of Sydney.
"I have found a pretty good balance with work and social life here in Sydney," he said.
"I'm absolutely loving it."
This is all thanks to Sydney Roosters star Crichton, who gave Jye the opportunity to be mentored by the founder of the lifestyle clothing brand North Bondi Motorino, Clarrie Moore, through the "First People Project".
The project mentors Indigenous boys who attend two prestigious private schools, Shore and Riverview, in grades nine to 12.
Jye, a proud Kamilaroi boy who began school at Shore in year seven under a scholarship, struggled to adjust to such a large city and felt overwhelmed at times.
"There have been difficult times at school or being away from home, but I have very supportive parents and teachers who are willing to help," he said.
Jye said he is enjoying his teenage years in Sydney, as he immerses himself in his two favourite sports, basketball and rugby league. His mentor, Moore, has guided and lifted Jye's morale when he needed it through tough times.
"He is a very genuine guy, and he looks out for me socially and academically," Jye said of Moore.
"I appreciate Clarrie, as he's shown me around Sydney, and I've met some of my childhood idols. I hope we continue to build a close bond".
Jye isn't the only student receiving mentoring — there are a total of 25 students involved in the project, which founding director Angus Crichton said is all about giving kids support.
"For the first time in these kids' lives, they are not worried about being the minority," Crichton said.
"They are proud and excited to be a part of our program. It is about forming a community."
The idea behind the project started when Crichton first arrived from rural Temora, relocating to board at Scots College.
Angus, like Jye, was in a new city trying to find his footing. It was here that he met two Indigenous brothers from the Northern Territory, Delwyn, and Leon Wunungmurra, who were also boarding at Scots and were severely homesick and struggling to adjust to a predominantly Anglo-Saxon school.
Angus took the Wunungmurra brothers under his wing, and the rest is history.
"I was invited up to their home in Arnhem Land. It was a crazy, eye-opening experience; I had no idea a place this remote existed," he said.
"That's when I wanted to create a foundation that mentored indigenous kids".
Angus paired up with co-director Gyan Ainkaran to launch the project.
"It's education," he said.
"It's getting these kids to act as bridges between the two worlds (white and black communities)."
Both men believe that Shore and Riverview provide excellent education to Indigenous kids, but said that after high school, some teens required extra assistance.
"We found the gap, where these kids get a good education, but they don't have the support around them to take the next step, whether that's work, a career, study, or trade," Crichton said.
The impact is already being felt by not only Jye but also by another Shore student, who is getting mentored by Roosters superstar Joseph Joseph Sua'ali'i.
"The young boy wants to stay in Sydney now and do university because of Joseph," Crichton said.
"He wouldn't have stayed without having a mentor, as he was keen to go home."
To learn more about the First People Project head to firstpeopleproject.org.
Preston Potts is journalism student from Western Sydney University
