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 Jack navigated Year 12 differently throughout 2021!
Introducing: Jack Fraser
Category: Business & Entrepreneurship
School: Saint Philip’s Christian College Waratah
Career Aspiration: In the Mechatronics Engineering Industry (focus on Robotics and Autonomous Systems)
Achievements
- Created and has begun prototyping the ‘Autoiron’
- Invited to showcase at The Hunter Defence Conference
- Recipient of the Australian Defence Innovation Award
What makes Jack a Trailblazer?
Jack is a real-life inventor! While completing Year 12, Jack has been simultaneously ideating, creating and building his invention: the Autoiron. After finding that 77% of people dislike ironing and seeing no viable solution in the current market, Jack took things into his own hands! He invested in himself and his own skills, funding his own building of the Autoiron, also developing a deep understanding of cryptocurrency and establishing a small business to sell 3D products online! Although the machine is not completed yet, Jack intends to continue reevaluating it until it is perfect.
Jack’s innovative streak has been recognised nationwide, as he was the leader of the national champion Subs in Schools team, building a functional Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle and placing first in Australia in 2020 and second in Australia in 2019!
He was also invited to showcase at the Hunter Defence Conference, where he won the Australian Defence Innovation Award along with a grant of $550. While attending said conference, he received interest and commendation from an Associate Director, Defence NSW, an audience member from Major Projects and Industry Development NSW Treasury and a Cyber Security System Firm.
Jack has even been approached by an investor identifying the need for a machine to move patients from one bed to another with the least disturbance to the patient. Jack is now currently working on this machine! We are sure to see his inventions across a range of fields!
In 2019, Jack completed work experience at British Aerospace (BAE Systems), supporting the Australian Air Forces. In his three days there, Jack completed 3D modelling, building a pneumatic aircraft engine, definitely fuelling his passion for design! He also completed work experience at Panda Packaging which involved installing and packaging large-scale machinery in Australia!
As one can imagine, creating an entire new product from scratch while balancing Year 12 and the HSC is incredibly challenging. He also had to re-configure his plans for his machine, due to shipping delays in the pandemic. In his experience as a school leader and designer, Jack has developed the crucial school of being pragmatic, a key skill for his field of work.
In the future, Jack aims to work in the Mechatronics Engineering industry and to focus on robotics and autonomous systems. The experience he has gained thus far will certainly be beneficial for him to achieve his dream job! We might even see him running his own business that designs and manufactures innovative products that change the world for everyone
“Machines either work, or they don’t, and the fix can be either extremely simple or excruciatingly complex.”
After reading Jack’s story and unique innovative mind, it is clear he is deserving of receiving a place in 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!
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.
Each year over one million young Australians, parents, and teachers access our guides, videos and resources to navigate the journey through high school.
