Rate My Professor Marleigh Zada

Marleigh Zada serves as an Associate Lecturer and Sessional Academic in the Centre for Aboriginal Studies at Curtin University, where she also acts as Coordinator of Enabling Courses. In this role, she contributes to Indigenous higher education, including support for enabling programs such as the Indigenous Pre-Medicine and Health Sciences Enabling Course, where she previously worked as Academic Engagement Officer. Zada has been actively involved in teaching innovations, notably as a member of the 'This City Was Once Country Team' led by Max Jackson, alongside Anthony Kickett and Fred Yasso. The team received the 2023 Curtin Excellence and Innovation in Teaching Award in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge and Culture category. Her teaching efforts emphasize integrating First Nations knowledge into curricula, supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students' success.

Zada, a proud Barkindji and Afghan woman, has presented at key educational symposia and conferences. She co-presented 'Reinvigorating Nyungar Boodja' at the ADCET UDL Symposium with Max Jackson and Anthony Kickett, addressing the integration of Nyungar perspectives and Universal Design for Learning to counter colonial narratives. At the NAEEA Conference in December 2024, she collaborated with Ana Blazey on 'Analysing Andragogy: Leveraging Student Experiences to Enhance Learning in Enabling Education'. Additionally, Zada captained Curtin University's Deadly Kardaz basketball team at the 2017 National Indigenous Tertiary Education Student Games and the 2018 Indigenous Nationals, achieving the university's best-ever overall finish of eighth place out of 27 teams, with finals in three sports and top-five placings in others. She is a graduate of Curtin's Yorga Djenna Bidi Indigenous women's leadership program and is pursuing a Master's degree in the Centre for Human Rights Education. Zada has chaired sessions such as the reflection on NAIDOC 2025 webinar and participated in community and alumni events, including visits to Polly Farmer Foundation programs.