When it comes to Aboriginal culture, Louis Mokak and Mitchell Baum are what you might call proud ambassadors.
The Dickson College students sing and dance at indigenous cultural events, are the recipients of indigenous scholarships and sign petitions calling for greater education about the Stolen Generations in schools.
But if you think it's because they've got an axe to grind or a chip on their shoulder about injustices of the past, think again.
These two young Aboriginal leaders are genuinely shocked to find their indigenous peers are falling further behind the rest of Australia than even five years ago.
''It's quite surprising,'' Mitchell said. ''Because we've grown up in such a good community and seen so much support all around us, you'd expect the same all over Australia.''
Louis and Mitchell are two of the relatively few to buck the latest statistics from COAG, which showed that indigenous attendance rates have dropped to 60per cent while academic performance has fallen 30 per cent behind the rest of the country.
They are both talented musicians, keen sportsmen and high performers in class. Mitchell, who has already completed a course in conversation biology at ANU Secondary School, intends to study marine science at university while Louis has his sights set on a degree in architecture or communications design.
The two high achievers said they believed Australia had made significant progress in indigenous education.
''I think [indigenous culture] is being taught a lot more in schools now than it was in the past,'' Louis said.
Mitchell said family also played a ''massive'' role in both his and Louis's success.
''It was my parents who really motivated me to like education and going to school and learning,'' he said.
''My mum always told me to make the most of the opportunities I've got because she never had those opportunities when she was at school.''
As they approach graduation in less than a month, the boys were grateful for receiving such strong support throughout their schooling years.
But rather than pumping more money into curriculum and classes, they urged governments and communities to focus heavily on encouragement of indigenous populations.
''My dad grew up in the Northern Territory, his dad was a pearl diver and his mum didn't have much education at all, but that didn't bring him down,'' Louis said.
''He's gone to university, gotten a degree and been to places he would never have imagined he could go before, and that had an impact on me.
''There's a lot of indigenous families out there that are suffering ... and the only way to get past that is to provide support and motivation.''
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