First Nations education leader Rhian Miller has been recognised with a prestigious national fellowship, celebrating her work building culturally safe, long-term mentoring pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people.
Miller, the founder and CEO of EPIC Pathways, was recently named a 2026 Westpac Social Change Fellow, an honour awarded to leaders creating meaningful and lasting social change across Australia.
In a recent interview with Women's Agenda, the proud Wirangu, Narranga and Wongi woman reflected on the impact of EPIC Pathways, a First Nations-led not-for-profit organisation that supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from Year 7 through to their first year post-school.
"What we find with students is meeting people who look like them, who understand where they've come from and how it feels to walk between worlds, and who are building successful lives in so many different ways is incredibly powerful," Ms Miller said.
The organisation's approach places cultural safety and consistency at its core, with mentors walking alongside students over multiple years rather than delivering short-term interventions.
Independent data shows students engaged in this type of mentoring are more than twice as likely to complete Year 12, more likely to attend university, and better supported into work, training or further study.
"What we see on the ground is attendance lifts, confidence grows, young people start speaking up and imagining a different future," Ms Miller said.
Ms Miller pointed to young leaders such as Kalani Ripley, whom she first met as a high school student and who now sits on EPIC's Board, and Ann-Maree Long, EPIC's Head of Community Engagement, who was the first in her family to finish high school and now mentors Indigenous young people nationally and internationally.
"You can't be what you can't see, and suddenly, they can see a lot," she said.
Reflecting on her leadership journey during the Women's Agenda interview, Ms Miller said stepping into the CEO role in her 20s challenged traditional ideas of leadership.
"One of the biggest things I've learnt since becoming CEO is that leadership isn't about having everything figured out.
"It's about how you hold responsibility when you're all figuring it all out together," she said.
She said becoming a foster parent alongside leading EPIC Pathways further reshaped her approach to leadership and care.
"You don't lead through control - you lead by showing up, listening, and creating safety for people to be their best selves over time."
Receiving the Westpac Social Change Fellowship, Ms Miller said, was both affirming and deeply personal.
"I came into this work as a young Aboriginal woman who benefited from mentoring myself, long before I saw myself as a leader," she said.
"This Fellowship feels like an affirmation of the kind of regenerative leadership EPIC Pathways believes in and is seeking to build more of in the world."
The fellowship will allow Ms Miller to step back from day-to-day operations and invest in her leadership development, including time on Country in Arnhem Land and completing leadership programs at international institutions.
Looking ahead, EPIC Pathways is set to support more than 1,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students across more than 30 high schools in three states and territories this year, with a strong focus on regional and remote communities and youth-led leadership initiatives.
"We're not interested in vanity metrics or growth-for-growth's sake," Ms Miller said.
"The goal is to do the work well, with care, and to build something that lasts."
