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.
Out of more than 76,000 students who have graduated from Year 12 in 2021 across NSW and ACT, the Trailblazer Awards acknowledge the significant contributions of 50 students within their schools, local communities and the impacts of their achievements. Our Top 50 Trailblazers will go on to have an incredible impact as future leaders in Australia!
The Top 50 Year 12 Trailblazers for 2021 were selected by our judges:
- Sam Klintworth – National Director of Amnesty International Australia
- Matt Kean – The Hon. Matt Kean, MP, NSW Treasurer and Minister for Energy & Environment
- Jeanette Cheah – CEO & Founder of HEX, G20 Young Entrepreneurs, 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians
- Clifford Rosenberg – Non-Executive Director of TechnologyOne, Former Managing Director S.E. Asia, Australia & NZ for LinkedIn, Former Non-Executive Director for Afterpay, Former Managing Director for Yahoo! Australia & NZ
Watch the 2021 Trailblazer Awards Night!
Who made the Top 50 Trailblazers?
We’re proud to present the Top 50 Year 12 Trailblazers (NSW/ACT) for 2021! A huge congratulations to these 50 incredibly deserving students out of the impressive field of applicants — the judges all shared the difficulty in selecting a Top 50!
You can learn about the unique journeys each of these students has had throughout their final year of schooling, and how they navigated Year 12 differently, by heading to their profiles.
| First Name | Last Name | School | Suburb | Category | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abinayan | Rajkumar | Baulkham Hills High School | Regents Park | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Adam | Taylor | De La Salle College, Revesby Heights | Picnic Point | Arts & Music | Profile |
| Adriana | Saab | Our Lady of Mercy College Parramatta | North Parramatta | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Amelia | Trkulja | Kiama High School | Gerringong | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Amoretta | Rourke | Cheltenham Girls High School | Epping | Arts & Music | Profile |
| Amy | Nguyen | Bankstown Girls' High School | Bankstown | Business & Entrepreneurship | Profile |
| Anthony | Radic | Rouse Hill High School | Kellyville | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Ava | Princi | Ryde Secondary College | Putney | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Aya | Lazkani | Malek Fahd Islamic School | Yagoona | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Azra | Katri | Christadelphian Heritage College Sydney | Leppington | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Ben | Mallin | Penrith Anglican College | Faulconbridge | Business & Entrepreneurship | Profile |
| Bridie | O'Kelly | Richard Johnson Anglican School | Hebersham | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Caroline | Holland | Tara Anglican School For Girls | West Pennant Hills | Business & Entrepreneurship | Profile |
| Cassandra | Fayers | St Philip's Christian College Newcastle | New Lambton | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Cedric | Kutschera | Penrith Selective High School | Ropes Crossing | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Charbel | Rached | Marist College Kogarah | Carlton | Business & Entrepreneurship | Profile |
| Claudia | Smith | Orange High School | Orange | Arts & Music | Profile |
| Danielle | Rifahi | Birrong Girls High School | Birrong | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Deepika | Dhulipati | Baulkham Hills High School | Stanhope Gardens | Business & Entrepreneurship | Profile |
| Demi | Spiteri | St John Paul II Catholic College Nirimba | Schofields | Arts & Music, Social Impact & Change, Environment | Profile |
| Doris | Wu | James Ruse Agricultural High School | Epping | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Dylan | Caple | Glenwood High School | Acacia Gardens | Science & Technology | Profile |
| Ellery | Joyce | MLC School Sydney | Burwood | Arts & Music | Profile |
| Esha | Datta | Girraween High School | Seven Hills | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Gabriella | Harb | Danebank Anglican School for Girls | Peakhurst Heights | Environment | Profile |
| Hiroshi | Mukhopadhyay | Pennant Hills High School | Pennant Hills | Arts & Music | Profile |
| Jack | Fraser | St Philip's Christian College Newcastle | New Lambton | Business & Entrepreneurship | Profile |
| James | Green | Trinity Grammar School | Glebe | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Jannat | Bakri | Hennessy Catholic College | Young | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Joseph | Brake | Southern Highlands Christian School | Southern Highlands | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Joseph | Stanley | O'Connor Catholic College | Guyra | Business & Entrepreneurship | Profile |
| Joshua | Borland | St Stanislaus' College | Bathurst | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Krystal | Lau | North Sydney Girls High School | Lane Cove North | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Lara | Proctor | Engadine High School | Engadine | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Mauatua | Fa’ara-Reynolds | Armidale Secondary College | Armidale | Arts & Music | Profile |
| Maxim | Blockley | Corowa High School | Corowa | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Melani | Gunawardana | Baulkham Hills High School | Baulkham Hills | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Miesha | Binta Noor | Beverly Hill Girls High School | Punchbowl | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Mithila | Goru | Macarthur Girls High School | South Wentworthville | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Naomi | Habib | Delany College | Sefton | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Nell | Slattery | Engadine High School | Engadine | Science & Technology | Profile |
| Omkar | Deshpande | Baulkham Hills High School | Westmead | Business & Entrepreneurship | Profile |
| Rajiska | Kamalanathan | Macarthur Girls High school | Wentworthville | Science & Technology | Profile |
| Rakshita | Surisetti | Strathfield Girls High School | Homebush West | Science & Technology | Profile |
| Samantha | Edvell | St George Girls High School | Earlwood | Science & Technology | Profile |
| Saoirse | Chu | Kingscliff High School | Kingscliff | Environment | Profile |
| Siddhant | Chandra | Oakhill College | Rouse Hill | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Sparsh | Polepalle | Normanhurst Boys High School | Thornleigh | Business & Entrepreneurship | Profile |
| Stephanie | Shuttleworth | Pacific Hills Christian School | Dural | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Tess | Northcott | NBSC Manly Selective Campus | Manly Vale | Environment | Profile |
Our Top 10 Trailblazers
| First Name | Last Name | School | Suburb | Category | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony | Radic | Rouse Hill High School | Kellyville | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Ava | Princi | Ryde Secondary College | Putney | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Ben | Mallin | Penrith Anglican College | Faulconbridge | Business & Entrepreneurship | Profile |
| Ellery | Joyce | MLC School Sydney | Burwood | Arts & Music | Profile |
| Lara | Proctor | Engadine High School | Engadine | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Maxim | Blockley | Corowa High School | Corowa | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Melani | Gunawardana | Baulkham Hills High School | Baulkham Hills | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
| Nell | Slattery | Engadine High School | Engadine | Science & Technology | Profile |
| Saoirse | Chu | Kingscliff High School | Kingscliff | Environment | Profile |
| Stephanie | Shuttleworth | Pacific Hills Christian School | Dural | Social Impact & Change | Profile |
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.
