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 Amoretta navigated Year 12 differently throughout 2021!
Introducing: Amoretta Rourke
Category: Arts and Music
School: Cheltenham Girls High School
Career Aspiration: Art curator/lawyer
Achievements
- Two first places at the Australian International Oireachtas
- First-place title at the NSW State Championship
- First place in the Australian Irish Dance Association Reserve Premiership
What makes Amoretta a Trailblazer?
Amoretta is an incredibly talented Irish dancer, who has won numerous awards in this area. In previous years she won various Irish dancing titles, including two first places at the Australian International Oireachtas and a first-place title at the NSW State Championship. She also won first place in the Australian Irish Dance Association Reserve Premiership in 2019, competing against dancers from all around NSW.
While she is incredibly proud of her Irish dancing accolades, it is her ability to be resilient which is her most prized achievement. The mental pressures which come with dancing at such a competitive level, while also juggling the HSC, are significant. Amoretta witnessed the impact of these mental pressures firsthand, watching her incredibly intelligent older sister suffer academically as a result.
Being a very competitive dancer, Amoretta found COVID-19 lockdowns particularly challenging. Important competitions she had spent so much time training for were being cancelled and restrictions meant there was significant uncertainty around how Year 12 exams would operate. On top of this, being in an LGA of concern, Amoretta had trouble accessing equipment to complete her 3 major works. As you can see, things got pretty stressful.
However, Amoretta views these experiences as a learning curve. This ordeal taught her how to endure in the face of adversity and the importance of perseverance. She also learnt the importance of self-discipline, effective time management and self-confidence. She believes that these skills were instrumental to the academic success she achieved during her challenging HSC year.
Amoretta hopes to complete a Bachelor of Art History and Curatorial Studies at the Australian National University in Canberra. She is keen to work in the arts industry, operating out of art galleries and museums. She would also like to pair this with international law, so that she can work around the globe, advising on various arts specific laws which affect the relationships and transactions among collectors, artists and dealers.
Reading this impressive bio, it is not hard to see why Amoretta has been selected as one of our 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!
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