Carving her own path

Growing up in Cooktown with ties to Wujal Wujal and Hope Vale, she’s one of many young students stepping on a high school scholarship through the Cape York Leaders Program (CYLP). 

Her older brother, now studying a double degree in business and civil engineering at on a tertiary scholarship, was the first in their family to join CYLP. His success was all she needed to sign up too.  

“He got involved with CYLP because my mum encouraged him,” she said explained. But while her brother helped laid a path, Zeikera is making her own mark. 

Her new life at St Peter’s Lutheran College in Brisbane has brought challenges – living away from family, adjusting to a much larger school – but she’s found strength in shared experiences. “I have a lot of people here who feel the same way, and we can just talk to each other about it,” she said. With support from CYLP Student Support Officers, school staff, and new friends, she settled in quickly. 

CYLP has also been there with practical support – from helping with shoes and sports gear to connecting her with help when she needs it. “If I was falling behind, I’d go to Tessa or the other staff at CYLP and ask for some help,” she said. 

Despite being away from family, Zeikera has found her stride and thrives in hands-on subjects like Science and HPE. “HPE has a lot of physical stuff you can do, and you can play games… science is really interesting because you get to do a lot of experiments.” 

Outside of the classroom, her drive continues in sport – she’s already played touch football and netball and now she’s set her sights on rugby. “They’re helping me with sports… they’re helping me with rugby.” 

 She’s noticed the changes in her self-confidence and her family has noticed the difference too. “They’ve seen that I’ve gotten taller… and more active,” she said. 

Though she still loves fishing and hanging out with friends when she’s back in Coen, Zeikera is already thinking big. “I’ve always wanted to be a marine biologist,” she said. “All the creatures in the sea… they’re really pretty. And how the temperature is a big factor.”  

To other young people thinking about CYLP, she has a message: “It’s really good… it helps you get into schools you never thought you would. Coming from small communities, you can go into bigger communities and have bigger opportunities.” 

With quiet determination, Zeikera is embracing the same opportunities her brother once did, while stepping forward as her own kind of Cape York leader.