- Posted on 28 Apr 2026
Powering Indigenous excellence through access to education
In the Gadigal language, the word galuwa means ‘to climb’. At the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), on Gadigal Country, the Galuwa Experience is helping Indigenous students explore opportunity through tertiary education.
In November 2025, 50 Indigenous high school students arrived at UTS, ready to experience campus life and discover the opportunities university offers. The students, who came from six schools across western and southwest Sydney, were there to attend the Galuwa. This immersive on-campus program seeks to harness the educational and career aspirations of Indigenous students and their families, showing them how university study can be part of their future.
Over a full day of activities, students toured the campus, explored UTS faculty and course offerings, and built connections with Indigenous Student Ambassadors and alumni who shared stories of their own university experiences.
Galuwa is supported by Infosys, a global leader in AI-first business consulting and technology services. Throughout the day, employees actively participated in the program, volunteering on campus to support activities, connecting with students and families, and sharing insights into education and career pathways.
Taking the first steps towards success
As a high-school outreach program designed with community, Galuwa seeks to spark aspiration and build pathways towards career success for students who might otherwise have never considered tertiary study.
Many Indigenous students face barriers to education, including a lack of proximity to university, lack of familiarity with the university pathways and experiences, and the absence of culturally safe environments that support them to achieve their potential.
The result is that Indigenous students comprise only 2.2% of Australian university enrolments. It’s a number that UTS is committed to transforming. By developing engaging pathway programs, like Galuwa, UTS is endeavouring to nearly double enrolments to 700 First Nations students as part of our Indigenous Education and Research Strategy 2025–2030.
If you can’t be what you can’t see, then Galuwa is about showing Indigenous young people that they belong at university.
“Getting them to understand not only that UTS is for them, but that their culture, knowledge and perspectives offer enormous value to the university community, is the first step to getting them in the door.”
Harnessing the power of family support
A standout feature of Galuwa is the day is inclusive for students, their families, and their teachers. Creating a shared experience lets families see their young people’s university aspirations writ large and support them in pursuit of their goals. This year marked the re-launch of Galuwa (first established at UTS in 2017). The program received almost unanimously positive feedback from students, teachers, parents, carers and Aboriginal Education officers. Over 70% of this year’s participants reported a significantly increased interest in studying at UTS and 100% reported feeling safe on UTS campus.
These outcomes have been made possible with the support of the UTS giving community, which has backed Galuwa since its inception. Partners like Infosys are working with UTS to support Indigenous excellence, creating benefits that ripple through families, communities and future generations.
“At Infosys, we believe that investing in pathways to education is a meaningful way to lift up entire communities and to tap into remarkable potential that will benefit us all,” says Andrew Groth, Executive Vice President, Asia Pacific, Infosys.
Eight years after Galuwa began, it continues to create opportunities for students everywhere.
Or, as one former Galuwa attendee put it:
I wasn’t going to uni, but now I am.