From Arnhem Land to Meanjin & beyond: QUT grad Siena embarks on media career

Meet Siena Stubbs, Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film, Screen and New Media) graduate. Siena is a Yolngu woman who grew up in North East Arnhem Land.

For Yolngu woman, Siena Stubbs, moving away from her family, friends and support network in North East Arnhem Land was one of the hardest things she has ever done. Siena found support in her fellow Indigenous Australian students and takes solace in knowing she is doing her community proud on her journey to fulfill her aspirations of becoming a successful female film director.

Four years ago, Siena was living in the community of Yirrkala in Arnhem Land, 40 hours from Brisbane by road.

Her town in the North East Arnhem Land was home to fewer than 1000 people, and it was here that she discovered her love for film, poring over family photo albums and filming her friends.

“I loved the way photo and film could tell stories and capture memories, and they can be just as poignant when they are viewed generations later as when they were first captured,” Siena said.

“I was given my first camera at 15, and I’ve never stopped taking photos and making films.”

When it was time to apply for further study, Siena decided to spread her wings and experience life in other parts of Australia, so she made the decision to leave her community to study fine arts at QUT in Brisbane.

She was excited to live on new Country and capture the stories of the Aboriginal cultures and people of Meanjin.

Siena graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film, Screen and New Media) with a minor in journalism.

She has also secured a job as junior content creator with Indigenous radio station Triple A and will spend the next year learning on the job and pursuing her own projects.

But she will forever be grateful to her QUT family, in particular the welcome and support given to her by the Oodgeroo Unit Indigenous student support service, which she  encouraged other new students to also access.

“The Oodgeroo Unit was a family away from home for me,” Siena said.

“It fosters rest and connection and culture, that are so important to have amidst the rush of study and work.”

Siena also encouraged students to learn from everyone around them; not just teaching staff, but friends, roommates, and other staff.

“There are so many people with different stories coming together to learn in one place, which creates so much opportunity for lifelong friends and future colleagues,” she said.

Looking further into the future, Siena said she would love to keep travelling across Australia, telling Aboriginal stories and capturing important events, and one day hopes to work with other prominent Indigenous Australian media organisations like NITV.

“There are so many stories of culture waiting to be told across this huge country, so I will keep following my instincts and my passions and see where it leads me. It’s worked wonderfully so far!”