Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently, I presented the Beecroft Rotary Club Youth Awards. These awards recognise students in years 11 and 12 who have pursued their passions while making an impact on their community. The Youth Volunteer of the Year award went to Kate Johnson, a dedicated Coogee surf lifesaving patrol member and a volunteer helper with Autism Swim. Young Sportsperson of the Year awards went to swimmer Abbey Thomas, soccer player Annika Lee and state field hockey champion Molly Holst. Young Designer of the Year Natalie Gibbons sewed and donated handmade face masks for Westmead's children's hospital. The Young Environmentalist of the Year, Erin Green, established a community garden and pioneered Sustainability Week initiatives. The Young Person in STEM of the Year was Shreya Mukherjee, for creating the app EcoSocial to help young people find climate-related volunteer opportunities. The Young Journalist of the Year went to Luciana Romanski for her writing in school publications, media internships and external marketing and communications experiences. The Young Performer of the Year awards went to singer Anika Joshi and dancer Mia Kim. The Young Employee of the Year was Sarah Kuang, for contributions to Little Athletics and Coles. The Young Entrepreneur of the Year went to Kai Macann for co-founding Terra Symposium, a business delivering philosophy and ethics programs for high school students.

The event was coordinated with the support of Beecroft Rotary's Youth Director, Daniel Dummer, and it was planned and executed by five local university and high school students: Sofia Guastini, Jaime Pitcher, Shabdha Kukunooru, Georgiana Dumapit and Hasti Rostami. Many members of the Beecroft Rotary Club volunteered, and I congratulate all of them.