Alumni Stories
Grads 2025: Harrison Pike
At the University of Canberra, it’s a real family affair for the Pikes.
Harrison Pike, his wife Alanah, and their two kids could all be found on campus at one time, with Harrison studying a Master of Optometry, Alanah researching her PhD, and their children attending Kirinari Early Childhood Centre.
And this week, when he walks across the stage at graduations, they’ll all be cheering him on – Alanah, from the National Convention Centre where the ceremonies are being held and his babies from home (a 4.30pm ceremony time would interrupt the bath and bed routine!).
Of course, there’s more than just one reason to celebrate Harrison’s achievements. Not only is he now a fully qualified optometrist, he’s also the first Indigenous student to graduate from that particular degree.
A proud Wiradjuri and Ngemba man, Harrison was born in Dubbo, NSW.
“My connection to Country is profound, culture means everything to me, I think what my ancestors fought for and what I’m continuing to fight for truly defines who I am,” Harrison says.
“In high school, I received a scholarship to go to boarding school in Sydney and my connection to my culture actually strengthened there. I helped with educating other people on my culture and what to be aware of [when referring to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples].”
This advocacy continued when he came to 海角社区. Harrison was an open book for his classmates, even running a ‘no judgement’ session for them while they were studying an Indigenous Health unit. At this session, his cohort could ask questions about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health outcomes and his experience in healthcare gaps.
It’s a field he was passionate about during study, and he remains so to this day. Harrison currently works as an Optometrist at OPSM Canberra City. He’s using his role there to gain experience that one day, he hopes to take into regional and remote Australia.
“I love optometry, having an impact on a person’s ability to see clearly and have good vision is an honour, it’s something I want to do for a while,” Harrison says.
“Later on in my career, I do want to specialise in Indigenous health, whether that be with eye health in remote communities, or even in a management and administration capacity. I want to change the way that healthcare happens for First Nations People.
“I want to better the way that my people are treated in order to close the gap for future generations.”
The hope to improve outcomes for tomorrow’s generation stems largely from Harrison’s experiences as a father. He has two children, with a third on the way, with his wife Alanah.
“My amazing wife Alanah is currently completing her PhD at UC, and we have two beautiful children who are at Kirinari Early Childhood Centre. I was so grateful to have my family so close to me on campus, it was helpful when we were both studying,” he says.
“Alanah and I met at UC – we had overlapping units in our undergraduate degrees – and things moved quickly from there.”
Both continued their studies over the course of their kids being born, taking short breaks for the births and early weeks, before returning to juggling study, marriage and parenting.
“It wasn’t easy, but there were times where I would have a bad day at uni, but picking up the kids would change everything, whatever happened during the day no longer mattered once I saw their faces, it was an incredible experience, I wouldn’t have changed a thing,” Harrison says.
Now in the workforce, Harrison continues balancing life as a working parent, while also supporting Alanah to finish her PhD.
He knows that his profession is one that can genuinely change lives.
“I myself wear glasses and have quite a high prescription, so when the opportunity came up to be able to do something where I could help people the way that I was helped as a child, I jumped at it,” Harrison says.
Words by Elly Mackay, photos by Liam Budge.
This March, we celebrate the graduating class of 2025.
Many have overcome challenges with grace and resilience, and all have grown in remarkable ways. We congratulate them on achieving this milestone.
We celebrate those who are already making an impact in their chosen fields, those who have changed careers, and others who have embarked on their postgraduate study paths – we look forward to seeing what you achieve as alumni of the University of Canberra.