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, get exam ready in our 1-day HSC Trials Accelerator, and so much more!
Find out how Marcus navigated Year 12 differently throughout 2022!
Introducing: Marcus Dimitri
Category: Business & Entrepreneurship
School: Penrith Anglican College
State: NSW
Career Aspiration: Business, medicine or engineering
Achievements
- Business start-up VRTX Activewear
- Plays representative football in NPL u18
- Plays in NSWCIS Football club
What makes Marcus a Trailblazer?
Whether it be on the football field or the field of business, Marcus Dimitri is kicking goals. He and a couple of his friends have launched an activewear business, VRTX Activewear, specialising in custom sportswear and their own branded clothing.
Their slogan is, ‘Be better than your best’, shares their message of inspiring their community to push past their limitations, and Marcus’ life is proof of this! Additionally, he was selected from a pool of 80 schools in New South Wales to represent in the NSWCIS Football Cup Tournament and plays representative football in the National Premier League (NPL) under-18s.
Only in the first two months of their business operations, VRTX Activewear had already garnered over $8,000 in revenue from over 120 orders. As of today, they have reached over 8,000 unique customers in 83 countries!
Their custom sportswear production includes polos, jerseys, and other items of clothing for organisations in the domestic and global markets. Their business continues to grow and expand as they are currently completing a deal with a customer from the Maldives, selling over 400 items of clothing which will generate an estimated $10,000 in revenue!
However, like for all businesses, there will be times of success and struggles. COVID-19 negatively impacted their company as they couldn’t gather for filming advertisements, attending business meetings, and outreaching new clubs for custom sportswear.
Sporting teams also came to a halt due to COVID restrictions. Consequently, demand for their products dropped. Despite this, he and his business partners continued to persevere and eventually rose back after surpassing the hurdle of COVID.
As for Marcus’s success in football, his story demonstrates how sheer determination and discipline will eventually lead to achievement. For the last 2 years, he had incurred many setbacks, particularly when trialling for the under-16 representatives.
Being turned down by two clubs, he didn’t let the disappointment get the best of him, and had landed the position at Mounties Wanderers. His endeavours and hard work paid off, being their top scorer and even playing in the age group above, the under-18s.
When reading Marcus’s story, it’s almost impossible to believe that he’s also completing Year 12. Marcus is challenged with having to juggle his business, football, and academics as he also aims high for a 99 ATAR. Another goal in his plethora of achievements!
While it is overwhelming, especially during the exam period, with the strong support of his family and friends, he is given the strength and determination to jump over these hurdles.
“During this process I have learnt to persevere no matter what is thrown at me.”
With all these accolades under his belt, Marcus has a variety of dreams and fields that he can pursue. Currently, he is considering business, medicine, or engineering!
Whichever one he strives for, his ability to set his mind to reaching his goals will prove to carry him to success. This makes him a notable figure who is deserving to be 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?”
Did you know we offer personalised K-12 Penrith tutoring
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.
