Kahlia Rogers, put her hand up to attend Yiramalay after an information session because she loved that it was learning on-country and close to home. Her time at Yiramalay sparked her interest in different cultures, especially her Bunuba heritage. Kahlia grew personally, gaining confidence and self-esteem. After graduating, she did a child care course, worked as a mentor at Yiramalay, and now empowers girls at Fitzroy Valley District High School. She also models part-time and is set to strut in Paris for Indigenous fashion. In 2021, she was crowned Kimberley Girl, a cherished memory following her cousin's win.
How did you become a student at Yiramalay?
Ned McCord came out to Wangkajungka and did an information session with some students. I put my hand up to go out there, just to give it a go, because it was on-country and somewhere close to home (just down the road from my community, even though it is 3 or 4 hours away, it is still closer than boarding in Perth). We could live there with other Indigenous kids but still get a good education.
Did your time at Yiramalay impact your own cultural identity?
It made me really want to learn about different cultures more. We learnt about Bunuba culture, and it helped me learn about and connect with Bunuba culture and language on my grandmother’s side. It was a great learning journey to learn about Bunuba culture but also the culture of others at the school.
What was your greatest learning from your time at Yiramalay?
I learnt a lot about myself; growing alongside other students. I feel like I grew up there. I gained more confidence and developed self-esteem; living and learning with other students.
Since graduating, what have you been up to?
I did a child care course at TAFE and then worked at Yiramalay as a residential mentor for two years. It was great to see a different perspective of the program. And now I work for a program called Shooting Stars, based at Fitzroy Valley District High School. The program aims to empower girls while they are at school and support them on their education journey.
I work full time and I do some part time modelling on the side. I have been to Darwin for the Country to Couture runway show (walking alongside some really big names up there) and in a couple of weeks I head to Paris to model at the fashion week, modelling an Indigenous lady’s design in the fashion capital of the world. I was also crowned Kimberley Girl back in 2021. Kimberley Girl is a program that helps girls from all over the Kimberley work on their confidence and self esteem through workshops, photoshoots, modelling and catwalk practice. I was crowned the year after my cousin, so it is one of my most special memories.
“We learnt about Bunuba culture, and it helped me learn about and connect with Bunuba culture and language on my grandmother’s side.“