Date: Monday 29 June 2026
Time: 10:30am – 12:00pm AEST
Venue: Novotel Sunshine Coast Resort
Cost: included in registration

Student Equity in Orbit: Constellations for Systemic Change

This constellation session invites participants to step back and reflect on the bigger picture of student equity in higher education. Bringing together those with a shared commitment to equity and inclusion, the session will explore how systemic barriers shape access, participation, and success, and consider how collective approaches may be helpful in addressing them.

Through shared insights and discussion, and by hearing from equity practitioners and researchers, participants will reflect on strategies that move beyond program-level interventions towards broader systemic change and more inclusive institutions. The session will explore promising practices and persistent challenges, while situating these within a shifting policy landscape that increasingly calls for institutional collaboration on equity and outreach initiatives. In this context, participants will also consider how sector-wide approaches can strengthen equity outcomes and drive more sustainable systemic change.

By the end of the session, participants will have contributed to a bigger picture of student equity: a shared understanding of the conditions that enable systemic change and the beginnings of shared directions for future action across institutions and communities.

Orbit Leaders

Sarah Ellis
Manager, Success and Strategy (Student Equity)
University of Technology Sydney
Co-Vice President, Equity Practitioners in Higher Education Association (EPHEA)

Sarah Ellis is Manager, Success and Strategy (Student Equity), at the University of Technology Sydney Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion. Sarah has over 12 years’ experience working in the higher education sector in the direct provision of academic support and in leading the strategic planning for student equity initiatives. Over this period, Sarah has led outreach programs and institution-wide initiatives that aim to increase the access and success of students from priority groups in higher education.

Having completed her Master of Education, she is passionate about the impact of education on social mobility and has been awarded a National Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning and two UTS Learning and Teaching Team Awards, one for Academic Support (2016) and one for improving priority learner experience (2025). She has recently co-authored an article for the International Journal of Inclusive Education, inviting the higher education sector to reframe how they approach attainment, admissions and notions of success. Currently, Sarah is serving on the EPHEA (Equity Practitioners in Higher Education) Executive Board as co-Vice-President.

Dr Nicola Cull
Associate Director of Equity and Inclusion
Australian Catholic University
President, Equity Practitioners in Higher Education Association (EPHEA)

Dr Nicola Cull is the Associate Director of Equity and Inclusion at the Australian Catholic University and President of Equity Practitioners in Higher Education Association (EPHEA). She leads ACU’s Equity and Inclusion Unit and plays a key role in driving the University’s Widening Participation Strategy. Nicola has extensive experience in equity strategy, program design, evaluation, and research, including cross-institutional projects. Her work is informed by an interest in the interplay between structures and agency, particularly within higher education. She was awarded the Elizabeth Mary Dodd Prize in Education for her master’s research on inclusive education and has completed a PhD with the Institute for Positive Psychology and Education, focusing on equity in higher education.

Guillermo Merelo PhD
Kaitaki Tautika Kanurau Kauawhi
Associate Director Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
University of Auckland
Co-Vice President, Equity Practitioners in Higher Education Association (EPHEA)

Guillermo Merelo is a diversity, equity and inclusion, organisational development and community engagement specialist with three decades of experience combining all three fields. Throughout his career Guillermo has been committed to integrating diverse academic perspectives into the realm of equity and inclusion. His research and publications focus on equity and inclusion, community participation, and the intersections of gender, ethnicity, sexual identity and faith.

Guillermo has worked as a senior public officer, columnist, and HR practitioner across Latin America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific Region. He has held a number of senior roles, including Executive Director of People of Culture at the Electoral Commission in Mexico City, Head of Research and Innovation at Diversity Works New Zealand, and currently, he is Associate Director of Staff Diversity Equity and Inclusion at Waipapa Taumata Rau | The University of Auckland and Co Vice President of Equity Practitioners in Higher Education Association (EPHEA).