Learning about future careers in sport was high on the agenda for a group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls from Urangan State High School’s Girls Academy when they visited USC’s main campus at Sippy Downs on Monday.

Girls Academy manager Paula Chalmers said many of the Fraser Coast girls were athletes and were keen to learn about the sports-related study programs on offer at USC.

The girls met student athletes, heard about USC’s High Performance Student Athlete program, inspected USC’s visualisation studios, attended a talk about nutrition, played an Oztag match and toured USC’s sports precinct.

They later presented USC Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Hill with a message stick to express their appreciation for the visit.

Girls Academy is an initiative of Role Models and Leaders Australia, a not-for-profit charitable organisation founded in 2004 by Olympian and champion basketballer Ricky Grace.

The Girls Academy develops and empowers Aboriginal girls through leadership training, mentoring, sport and extra-curricular programs.

Its goal is to create an environment within schools where the girls receive the support and programs needed to help them realise their full potential.