It was at high school when Indigenous student Tyahn Bell felt that she was in a no-win situation when it came to academic success.
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The Ngunnawal woman, who lives in Yass in NSW, said that any success or failure in school was often met with a negative response from other students.
"I found that there's a lot of racism around First Nation success and it's like you couldn't do any good," she said.
"[Other students would say] Oh well, they're Aboriginal, so obviously they're not going to do well."
"When you do succeed, they've also got something to say like 'Tyahn only got this because she's Aboriginal. They felt sorry for her'.'"
Tyahn said these experiences were sometimes mirrored when she started attending university, where she is studying social work.
She noted that people were quick to highlight her Aboriginality during classes that discussed First Nations experiences.
"One of the other students said 'well, you're going to get some brownie points [in this unit]," she said.
"I was just like ... 'you know, you've probably gotten a lot of brownie points all your life'."
It's obviously just going through the right process of asking someone who is First Nations, not just making an assumption of what to do.
- Tyahn Bell
Tyahn is the only Indigenous student in her current class. Her success has taken her to Rome, where she will study for two weeks on an Indigenous scholarship in partnership with both the Australian Catholic University and the Australian embassy to the Holy See.
However her success is not the norm for Aboriginal students. A recent report from Universities Australia has revealed only 50 per cent of Indigenous students who enrolled in post-graduate studies completed their degree.
Despite more enrolments each year, graduation rates have remained largely stagnant, increasing less than 4 per cent since 2005.
Proponents of the Voice have said that along with improving Indigenous outcomes in health, it will help to improve Aboriginal education levels.
In her speech to the National Press Club on Wednesday, Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney said, "Our people are more likely to have experienced homelessness than to hold an undergraduate degree."
Discussing graduation rates in relation to the Voice referendum, Burney labelled the rates an example of "systemic and structural disadvantage."
Tyahn said that her experiences of studying improved with a change of degree, which meant moving to a small university. The feeling of not being "just a number" made a difference to her wellbeing.
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She said that Indigenous people who come from rural areas may find it equally as difficult when confronted with a large cohort of people. Furthermore, some cultural issues specific to First Nations people sometimes presented themselves, and navigating them with lectures could be a challenge.
In her own experience of the Voice, Tyahn noted that most people she spoke to were willing to listen, and many of her friends deferred to her on First Nations issues.
"I think it's OK to be cautious [on the referendum]," she said.
"It's obviously just going through the right process of asking someone who is First Nations, not just making an assumption of what to do."
