Jordan Ivey grew up 'living in the water', diving deep off the coasts of northern New South Wales and Vanuatu to find harmony, clarity and connection to his culture. "I've always had a strong tie to the ocean through my heritage," says Jordan, who is a Bundjalung man and South Sea Islander descendant. "I'm a part of it. When I'm underwater, I'm so relaxed and connected to everything. It feels like home for me."
The peace he found in the ocean's clear water as a boy led him to dream of a career among the coral reefs and their incredible creatures, immersed in the environment that brought him so much contentment. Back on dry land, though, visibility was poor — with so few Indigenous people working in marine science, difficulties in class, and little support from his school, Jordan had no role model for his future and no confidence in himself to strive for his passion.
"I remember my Year 10 career advisor telling me I wasn't smart enough to do animal science," he says, reflecting on the crushing toll this took on his younger self. "It was a punch in the guts, and so I stopped going. My ATAR was so bad I couldn't get into any university, so I started working as an apprentice mechanic. I felt like I'd lost my way and connection with Country."
But Jordan wasn't giving up on his dreams. He completed his Certificate III in Light Vehicle Mechanical Technology, with the knowledge it was a pathway to university for Indigenous people. He then used the money earned from his job to pay for an open water dive course and gain his certificate, reinvigorating his passion for the ocean and connection to sea Country. This ambition and determination would lead him to a future he could barely have hoped for at the time.
Today, Jordan is an Indigenous marine scientist and commercial scuba diver, working to conserve our precious ocean environment and inspiring young people through his job as Indigenous Training and Capacity Building Coordinator at the Australian Institute of Marine Science — the embodiment of the role model he never had.
"This is the dream for me," he says, with a slightly disbelieving laugh. "I didn't even know this type of work existed back then."
Jordan credits a lot of hard work and the 'amazingly supportive' environment of Southern Cross University — particularly the Indigenous Australian Student Services — for turning his life around, with entry to the education pathway program called Preparing for Success.
"Through the program I had access to a tutor, and I started getting high distinctions," Jordan proudly recalls. "This gave me the confidence to go for my degree."
Jordan was accepted into a Bachelor of Marine Science and Management, with a scholarship enabling him to study full-time. During his years at Southern Cross, Jordan's interest in supporting other young Indigenous people began to bloom.
"I really enjoyed being a part of the community, particularly mentoring and tutoring other Indigenous students," he says. "I also joined Indigenous sports teams and helped coach, too.
"I had so much support from Southern Cross University, which allowed me to work hard and learn how to believe in myself. I gained so much in my time there."
His hard work continued to pay off when, in 2018, Jordan was awarded a prestigious New Colombo Plan scholarship. He travelled to the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, where he completed an independent research unit to understand the impacts of coral reef restoration on coral-associated reef fish. He also completed an internship with the educational research centre, Reef Explorer Fiji Inc, working on coral restoration and learning from village elders about the need for species richness to ensure the health of the food chain.
In 2021, Jordan worked with distinguished Professor Peter Harrison of Southern Cross University to develop his skills in coral larval restoration, starting as a research assistant and then helping to run operations for a number of Professor Harrison's projects.
Today, at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, Jordan leads a team that focuses on supporting Indigenous people to enter the field.
"We enable opportunities and pathways for Indigenous peoples in marine science internally via through traineeships, internships, graduate programs etc. We also support Indigenous communities and Indigenous Ranger externally by training and developing their marine science skills further (marine monitoring and reef restoration)," Jordan says. "We also look at the best ways to engage Traditional Owners in research projects, like gaining free prior informed consent (FPIC) to research on sea Country and how to implement Traditional Ecological Knowledge into western science and how these groups can participate on our projects."
Protecting the Reef and sea Country is one of Jordan's biggest priorities. A recent project he has worked on aims to enhance the recovery rate of depleted coral populations by culturing millions of coral larvae and settling them on damaged reefs. He trains Traditional Owners to do the same work, too.
"If I can help save the coral reefs, while also creating a space where Indigenous people can be deeply involved in marine science — that's the long-term goal," Jordan says.
In the meantime, Jordan is enjoying his relationship with the ocean of his boyhood dreams and ancestors' culture, holding special moments in the water — such as a dugong mother and baby guiding him and his fellow Indigenous trainees to a reef site they were restoring — close to his heart.
And soon, Jordan plans to return to his studies at Southern Cross University.
"I'll be finishing my research journey with a Masters/PHD in Marine Science," he says, seeking to further prove that hard work and passion can open doors to a bright future. "I hope I can continue to be a role model, so more people can do what I'm doing, and we can have a bigger impact together."
