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 Miesha navigated Year 12 differently throughout 2021!
Introducing: Miesha Binta Noor
Category: Social Impact & Change
School: Beverly Hills Girls High School
Career Aspiration: Human Rights Lawyer/Diplomat
Achievements
- Leading mentor for The Peer Mediation Initiative
- Over 170+ hours of volunteer work
- ⅙ semi-finalist for the NSW Denmark Wellbeing Award
- ⅕ finalist for the CBC Youth Awards
What makes Miesha a Trailblazer?
Over the past three years, Miesha has held her role as the Leading Mentor for the Peer Mediation Initiative. Her role allowed her to seek out and provide assistance to members of society who have underlying social and mental health issues which generally left people dismissed as outcasts.
Miesha was also heavily involved in leadership activities within school including being a House Captain and the Founder and Captain of Social Justice Club, both of which further supported her communication skills, critical thinking and group work capabilities!
As an avid spokesperson for social change and acceptance, Miesha’s work as the Social Justice Club Captain flourished, even in lockdown! Miesha liaised with fellow students and teachers to hold RUOK Week online in 2021, and helped to begin erasing the stigma surrounding mental health at her school. These whole-school online events opened channels for students in Years 7-12 to share personal stories and ideas on how individuals can work to create a sense of belonging and avoid unconscious discrimination and bias.
As if Miesha’s 2021 wasn’t busy enough, she was also able to rack up plenty of work experience! Miesha spent time as an Assistant Teacher, designing and holding lessons in Mathematics and Art. She also completed clinical shadowing programs where she worked for over 25 hours to understand different types of issues doctors witness and deal with.
These experiences added fuel to her pursuit of Social Justice, as she witnessed the unequal distribution of health and education programs and biotechnology across NSW and the country. The experience ultimately taught Miesha that she wants to ensure all children have access to a minimum standard of education. In her dream world, there is a universal act similar to Australia’s implementation of the Public Education Act.
But the past two years have not been easy. Miesha suffered many challenges over her senior years of high school, receiving unfortunate news about deaths in her family and friends groups. She experienced immense grief on top of her HSC. The experience made Miesha realise the best way to navigate her way through the year was by truly balancing her emotions and studies, surrounding herself with the best people she needed, and remembering to contribute to society in the best ways that she can.
With plenty of experience in high school as a changemaker and leader, Miesha realised she wants to continue her work in Social Justice by becoming a Human Rights Lawyer or Diplomat. She hopes to rally an internationally acceptable standard of living with the work she has already begun.
“I realised I needed a balanced life, where I remain dedicated to my schooling, enjoy the people around me, try to create the best environment, and contribute to society in the best ways I can”
Her pursuit of social justice and absolute equality supports Miesha’s activism and will continue to do so after high school. Her continuous contribution to school and wider community throughout a personally and academically challenging year reveals Miesha 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!
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.
