What are the Trailblazer Awards?
The Trailblazer Awards celebrates Year 12 students beyond their ATAR, recognising those who have overcome personal challenges and used their final year of school to positively impact their community.
Our Trailblazers will have the opportunity to network with industry leaders, build their personal brand and profile as a future leader, learn key career skills in our 3-day Pathfinder Accelerator, and so much more!
Find out how Abinayan navigated Year 12 differently throughout 2021!
Introducing: Abinayan Rajkumar
Category: Social Impact & Change
School: Baulkham Hills High School
Career Aspiration: Healthcare Industry
Achievements
- Volunteer at the ‘Valluvar Illam Disability Home’ in rural Sri Lanka
- Volunteer at the ‘Vediarasan Educational Centre’ in rural Sri Lanka
- Battled against Dysgraphia
What makes Abinayan a Trailblazer?
Abinayan travelled to rural Sri Lanka to volunteer at the Valluvar Illam Disability Home and the Vediarasan Educational Centre. He supported local disadvantaged children in implementing good hygiene and dental practices, learning English, and participating in sports, games and debates! It is clear Abinayan has made a lasting impact on the children’s lives.
Back in Australia Abinayan has volunteered for numerous fundraisers, including Jeans for Genes Day, 40 Hour Famine, Bandaged Bear Appeal and the Red Shield Appeal! He was also the Youth Speaker at the World Tamil Literature Conference.
While in Sri Lanka, Abinayan was able to communicate with young children using his Mother Tongue, Tamil, which also brought him a deeper connection to his own culture. He strived to make a difference in their lives, sharing how vital it is the young children fight to pursue education.
Abinayan focused on teaching the children basic English Skills, in grammar and spelling and even donated English short-story books, which he also read to the children. He supported them cultivating their habits for school and transformed the way they approached the school environment. For the period he was volunteering, the Education Centre saw higher attendance rates from the students!
It’s clear Abinayan has a passion for creating social change and impact, however he also developed his ability to empathise. He was able to walk in the shoes of these young children, sharing experiences and opening his eyes up to the harsh realities of their predisposing factors such as socioeconomic status, poor medical infrastructure and how due to these ineludible factors, these children may not have the opportunity to achieve their goals in life. And he does not stop there! Amidst the pandemic, Abinayan undertook virtual work experience simulating the role of a General Practitioner, solidifying his dream job!
A major challenge Abinayan is faced with is his Dysgraphia — a learning disability that results in poor fine-motor skills and difficulties with handwriting. With the HSC and many assignments requiring written expression it is clear how this condition can be a difficult challenge for a Year 12 student.
Dysgraphia, and its effects on Abinayan’s school results had made him become anxious about school and assessments as he battled finding the balance between handwriting legibility and efficiency in exams. Abinayan worked tirelessly to ensure his handwriting is the best it can be through daily handwriting practice.
Abinayan’s experiences have also shaped his future aspirations! Abinayan hopes to work in the Healthcare Industry. He also wants to continue going back to overseas countries (and national locations) to provide better health standards globally!
From his own experiences, watching his immigrant mother feel safe, heard and reassured by the family General Practitioner, Abinayan reflected on just how delicate and interpersonal the connection between individuals and their GPs can be.
“I was able to learn and acknowledge hardships, and through this better connect with these children. I want to work as a health-professional in the future.”
Abinayan’s heart-warming experience and unwavering commitment to social impact has landed him a spot as one of the Top 50 Trailblazers!
The Top 50 Year 12 Trailblazer Awards
The Trailblazer Awards aim to identify and celebrate students who use their final years of school to invest holistically in the skills and experiences that will maximise their own future opportunities and make a contribution to the future of our society.
Our winners for the Year 12 Trailblazer Awards have demonstrated initiative in volunteering for their school or community, have participated in co-curricular activities, and have held leadership positions within their schools.
Learn more about who placed in the Top 50 Year 12 Trailblazers here!
About Art of Smart Education
At Art of Smart Education, we’re an award-winning provider of holistic tutoring and mentoring for students in years K-12. Our mission is to help students answer the difficult question, “What am I going to do with my life when I finish school, and how do I get there?”
We understand that true success involves mastering study, career and leadership skills while maintaining your wellbeing, not just excelling in academics and as a result, over the last decade, we’ve supported over 10,000 students to achieve their best and maximise their options for life after school.
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