Proud Dharug students Tanisha Sonter and Hayden Atkins have taken their culture, community and aspirations to Rome as recipients of Australian Catholic University’s 2026 Francis Xavier Conaci Scholarship.
The scholarship will see the two ACU students live and study at the university’s Rome Campus while representing the Dharug Nation, whose ancestral lands extend across much of the Greater Sydney region, from the Hawkesbury River to Broken Bay.
Their selection marks a significant milestone in the history of the Conaci Scholarship, with Ms Sonter and Mr Atkins becoming the first two students from the same Aboriginal Nation to receive the scholarship in the same year.
Named in honour of Francis Xavier Conaci, a young Aboriginal boy who travelled from Noongar Country in Western Australia to Rome to study at a Benedictine monastery in the 1850s, the scholarship offers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students a unique opportunity for cultural exchange, leadership development and international study.
ACU Pro-Vice Chancellor (Indigenous) Kelly Humphrey said the Conaci Scholarship was a life-changing experience of cultural exchange and learning.
“Tanisha and Hayden represent the very best of what this scholarship stands for,” Ms Humphrey said.
“As proud Dharug scholars, they will carry their culture, their community and their aspirations with them to Rome.
“Their selection is significant not only because they’re the first two students from the same Nation to receive the scholarship together, but because they embody the leadership, determination and generosity that will inspire future generations of First Nations students.”
During their time in Rome, Ms Sonter and Mr Atkins will engage with leaders and dignitaries, including representatives within the Vatican, while proudly sharing their experiences as Dharug people and members of the ACU community.
Mr Atkins, 24, is in his third year of a Bachelor of Physiotherapy at ACU’s North Sydney Campus, while Ms Sonter, 20, is halfway through a Bachelor of Education (Primary) at ACU’s Blacktown Campus.
As Conaci Scholars, Ms Sonter and Mr Atkins will represent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders during NAIDOC Week in Rome, hosted by Australian Ambassador to the Holy See Keith Pitt.
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