2023 STUDENT GUILD

Congratulations Nominees

Congratulations to the following students who have been elected to this year's Student Guild: Meryem Bozkuh, JV Francisco, Ella Giovenco, Charzie Janovro, Seed Kafesu, Ibrahim Rifai and Bobby Jay Taylor, who make up our Year 12 group, along with Alfredo Caneda Jr, Putu Ayu Baker, Azriel Fae Gepte, Jayden Hansen, Alina Hussain and Zane Daniels, who are this year'sYear11representatives.

These are the students who have been voted by their peers and teachers to represent the entire student body as Guild members in 2023, a truly fantasticachievement.Welldone!

Thisyear,ourGuildwill: beleadersamongtheirpeers be the voice for their peers and help make decisions about what goes onhereatSevenoaks enjoy leadership team building activities such as the Guild overnight campandGRIPLeadershipconference fundraiseforworthycauses and planeventssuchasSevenoaksGotTalent

The process for crowning our Sevenoaks Senior College Co-Captains beginsearlynextterm.Wewishyoualltheverybestofluck!

A huge thank you to the Electoral Commission for providing the voting polls and completing the official vote count for this year's Guild election. It is a wonderful opportunity for students to learn the voting process before turning 18 and becoming active and informed members of our democratic nation. Thanks to all students and staff who listened to our nomineescampaignspeechesandvotedontheday.Weappreciateyou!

Kaya and welcome to our first newsletter for 2023! It has been an action packed term with a number of absolutely fantastic opportunities for students of the Follow the Dream program. Here are just a few...

MEET THE CLASS OF 2023!

A huge welcome to our Year 11 students: Emy-Liam, Hinerupe, Nyeemah, Ciennah, Aprile, Maitland, Tyreece, Lucas, Benjamin, Malik, Shane and Dexter. Welcome back Year 12 students: Jade-Lee, Leticia, Georgia-Rei, Breanna, Tynan, Mehki and Dillon. We are so excited to have you as part of this year's Follow the Dream class of 2023!

INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY - MORNING TEA

This term we hosted an International Women's Day Breakfast to acknowledge and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women's achievements, struggles and contributions in all areas of life.

Various Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women shared their powerful stories. Year 11 student leader and MC of the event, Nyeemah Gonzalez-Tammen, said "the event was a wonderful opportunity to elevate our voices".

Follow the Dream alumni, Aaliyah Nestoridis, was also invited to deliver an empowering speech for our audience. Aaliyah spoke about her involvement with the Follow the Dream program, her personal challenges and how she overcame them,and the strong role models in her family She called on young women to rally together and hold each other up towards a shared vision of advocating for change.

A big thank you to Franca Toffanello from BG&E, one of our sponsors, for attending and well done to our students. We are so proud of you.

INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY - OPTUS STADIUM

Students from the Follow the Dream program attended WA’s International Women’s Day Breakfast Event at Optus Stadium on March 8. The theme this year was "Cracking the Code", which is about championing the skills of women in all areas of innovation, particularly in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Students were able to hear from notable women including:

Victoria Devine, creator of "She’s on the Money", Australia's #1 finance podcast

Michelle Cowan, Australia’s first professional female AFL coach Brooklyn, a Perth-based content creator and part-time content strategist

We are very fortunate to have so many women in Australia contributing in this area who inspire us every day.

Wolrd Indigenous Tourism Summit

Congratulations to Year 11 student, Maitland Penny, who was selected to attend the World Indigenous Tourism Summit this term The summit was held at Crown and is funded by the Polly Farmer Foundation (PFF), coordinated by Youth Symposium Leaders, and supported by the Department of Tourism WA.

Speakers included those working directly in preserving, protecting and sharing cultural knowledge and sites; and how they are contributing to protecting the environment, especially in the face of climate change. This was followed by an interactive session facilitated by Australian leaders in the culinary space.

A truly fantastic opportunity for Maitland, who is studying towards his Certificate II in Hospitality and who has been part of our program since Year 7

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YOUNG INDIGENOUS WOMEN'S STEM ACADEMY - NASA

Congratulations to Year 11 student, Ciennah Nestoridis, who was selected to represent the Young Indigenous Women’s STEM Academy at the launch of the National Indigenous Space Academy, held in Adelaide this term.

As an Indigenous youth representative, Ciennah was selected from hundreds of students from government, independent and Catholic schools, most of whom took part in STEM extracurricular activities their home state or territory. Ciennah was one of only three Indigenous students from around Australia to attend. The launch of the National Indigenous Space Academy included a site visit and STEM conversations at Fleet Space Technologies. In addition to attending the launch of the National Indigenous Space Academy, Ciennah had the exciting opportunity to network with Katherine Bennell-Pegg, who was recently announced as the first Indigenous Australian female to train as an astronaut.

INDIGENOUS ARTS FOUNDATION - SEE IT BE IT PROGRAM

Congratulations to Maitland Penny (Year 11) and Breanna Johnson (Year 12) for being selected for the 2023 See It Be It program hosted by the Indigenous Arts Foundation. The program was held at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) and featured various guest speakers and activities to expose youth to the Indigenous Australian arts scene.

Students had the opportunity to: be inspired by Shannon McGuire's long list of achievements, practice vocal training with Randa, experience a live news production with Michael Thomson from Channel 9, and learn about show business from HAMA Production's Hamish McSporran.

Harmony Day

Harmony Day was a significant day of celebration which allowed Follow the Dream students to share their rich Indigenous heritage. Year 12 student, Tynan Garlett, captivated the audience with a lively digeridoo performance while Year 11 and 12 Aboriginal students showcased their amazing dance skills. What a proud day in our path towards reconciliation in our community.

It was a privilege to be apart of this enriching event. It has given me the opportunity to meet people in the hospitality industry and build professional networks