Jada Crawshaw is a 19-year-old Gurindji and Yamatji woman who has chased her basketball dream all the way to the United States.

A descendant of the Stolen Generation, Jada grew up in a single-mother household on Larrakia Country (Darwin).

When she was 11 years old, she joined a local basketball team. Her athletic ability stood out right away and she quickly went on to play at a state and territory level.

On school holidays, Jada honed her skills with Hoops 4 Health—an Aboriginal organisation that uses basketball and trauma-informed practices to promote wellbeing. She was mentored by owner Timmy Duggan, who inspired her to work hard and aim high.

Last year, Jada took the leap to chase her dream to the United States, far from her country, family, and culture

She is only the fourth young Aboriginal woman to receive a US college basketball scholarship in its 106-year history.

She excelled in her first year, being named in the All-Big West All-Freshman Team and recognised as a player heading for a bright future.

Her journey so far has been made possible through the support of her family, her Sydney-based adopted family, and her coaches, who have all believed in her and supported her the whole way.

Her mentorship under Hoops 4 Health has shown her the importance of a trauma-informed approach to health and wellbeing, which she hopes to champion through her studies in psychology. And when she returns to Australia, she plans to pay it forward by mentoring Indigenous youth with Hoops 4 Health.

Our ask to support Jada's dream

Jada trains for long, hard hours, and studies even harder to meet the Grade Point Average requirements of her scholarship. But one of the biggest challenges she faces is financial.

Jada’s scholarship covers expenses including tuition fees, food, and accommodation, but it does not cover her other living expenses. It also does not provide for her to travel between Australia and the United States, so Jada is responsible for securing her flights home during college breaks. The first year of Jada’s scholarship cost our family around $30,000.

The terms of Jada’s visa prohibit her from undertaking paid work or earning income from her name, image, or likeness (NIL) in the United States.

It is for this reason that we appeal to the generosity and goodwill of family, friends and philanthropic organisations to ensure that Jada has every chance of reaching her dreams.

With your generosity, we are now able to cover Jada’s expenses in her second year, but we are still $40,000 short of our target to cover the third and fourth years of her scholarship.

With the end of the financial year fast approaching, there is no better time to make a tax-deductible contribution that will help Jada achieve her dreams.

We are raising funds to cover Jada’s professional skills development; living expenses, such as having her own room, mobile phone and internet access, car expenses (lease of parking space, insurance, registration and fuel); and flights (including travel insurance) between Australia and the United States on her breaks.

We would also love to help her update her laptop, which she has been taking good care of for the past seven years.

We are incredibly proud of Jada’s resilience under the immense pressure of this opportunity. And we are so grateful to have been able to bring her home over her recent break, which has restored her spirit and meant the world to our family.

Beating the odds

Jada’s biggest dream is to play for her country in international events such as the World Cup and the Olympics. To our knowledge, only five Aboriginal women have ever represented Australia in basketball, and only three have played in the Olympics.

Equally, Jada is focused on getting a university degree that will set her up for a meaningful career throughout her life.

Indigenous young people face unique challenges rooted in a history marked by discrimination, dispossession, and social inequality. Supporting young Indigenous athletes and students is one way we can break those cycles of disadvantage, nurture the potential of a new generation, and show our kids that their dreams are possible.



Jada is proud to be a role model for Indigenous youth and passionate about supporting more young players to succeed.

Read Jada's letter of support from Peter Lonergan, Director of High-Performance Coach Development at Basketball Australia

Follow Jada on instagram