Achievements and Results

Congratulations to Syazwana Saifudin (Class of 2024) and Raymond Lui (Year 12) – Premier’s VCE Award Recipients

We are proud to celebrate the outstanding achievements of two Suzanne Cory High School students who have been recognised with Premier’s VCE Awards for their exceptional performance in their VCE studies.

Syazwan (Wana) Saifudin, who graduated in 2024, received the award for Media, while current Year 12 student Raymond Lui has been honoured for his achievement in Accounting. These prestigious awards are presented to the top-performing students across the state, with recipients required to have earned a study score of 46 or above. Selections are based on individual graded assessments and an overall order of merit, making these awards a true mark of academic excellence.

Wana’s award recognises her creative vision, technical expertise, and commitment to excellence in Media. Her work stood out for its originality and high level of execution. Meanwhile, Raymond’s award in Accounting highlights his analytical thinking, precision, and strong understanding of complex financial concepts—an extraordinary accomplishment while still completing his VCE.

Both Wana and Raymond have demonstrated the highest levels of dedication and achievement, and we are thrilled to see their efforts recognised at the state level. We congratulate them on this incredible honour and look forward to seeing all they accomplish in the future.

Plain English Speaking Awards

We’re proud to share that Year 11 student Adiba Khan has has progressed to the State Finals of the Plain English Speaking Award — a remarkable achievement! Below, Adiba reflects on her journey and the experience so far.

The semi-finals were an unforgettable experience - I had the chance to hear powerful speeches from students across Victoria. On the 20th of June, I travelled to 2 Treasury Place in East Melbourne to participate in one of four semi-final rounds of PESA. From over 170 students in the State Heats, only 24 progressed to the semi-finals. I was fortunate to speak alongside five other talented individuals from all corners of Victoria and am very grateful to have won my section.

For my prepared speech, I spoke on “The Myth of Meritocracy: Why Working Hard Isn’t Always Enough,” where I explored how systemic barriers - like race, class, and legacy - distort our understanding of fairness. I used the metaphor of dragging a crocodile through a race to illustrate how students from disadvantaged backgrounds are expected to compete on unequal terms. My opening line was, quite literally, “A crocodile in a top hat is still a crocodile,” which turned out to be an absurd but memorable hook - one that many people have told me stuck with them long after the speech ended. I’ll be expanding my 6-minute speech to 8 minutes for the State Finals.

For the impromptu section, the topic was “Forgiveness is key.” With just 4 minutes to prepare a 3-minute speech with no prior knowledge of the topic, I spoke about infrastructure - not just in the physical sense, but as a metaphor for the systems that shape access and equity. I reflected on the ongoing impacts of historical injustices, including the economic aftermath of partition on Bangladeshis and the structural disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal Australians. I framed forgiveness not as forgetting, but as a commitment to rebuilding with justice and accountability.

Looking ahead to the State Finals, I’m excited to further refine my message and deliver it with even greater impact. The PESA 2025 State Final will be held at The Wheeler Centre at 10:30 am on Friday, 25 July. I’ll be competing alongside five other state finalists, and I expect it to be a day full of extraordinary ideas and perspectives. The winner will go on to represent Victoria at the National Finals.

Adiba Khan

Year 11

New Zealand Secondary School Case Competition - Runner Up

This June, our team – Cory Consulting, made up of Year 12 students (Sahnan Saini, Dinda Widya Murti, Rishit Miglani, and Vishesh Manik) had the incredible opportunity to represent Suzanne Cory High School in the 2025 New Zealand Secondary School Case Competition. We’re proud to share that we placed 2nd overall, becoming the first Australian team to ever make the top 3 in this competition.

As the largest high school case competition in New Zealand, the NZSSCC aims to develop the entrepreneurship skills of students. It invites students to analyse a real life business case, analyse and identify the key issues, and present a strategy on how the business can best meet its aims to a panel of judges, and for the first time, the competition was opened up to Australian schools.

After scoring a 95/100 and being announced as 1 of 6 finalist teams from a wide pool of participants in the preliminary round, our team proceeded to the final round where we presented our engaging, innovative, and detailed strategy live and answered questions during the Q&A session in front of a panel of judges from Massey Business School, eventually placing second overall in the competition.

We would like to thank NZSSCC Executive Committee, the panel of judges, and Massey Business School for the opportunity to take part such an inspiring and professional competition at an international stage. The experience gave us a taste of what it is like to tackle complex business problems and we look forward to using these skills in our future commerce ventures.

• Sahnan Saini (K7)

Senior Boys Three-Day Victorian Schools Cup Volleyball

In late May, over the course of three unforgettable days, our Senior Boys made us all proud as they took on some of the toughest competition in the state at the Victorian Schools Cup Volleyball Tournament. And the result? A remarkable 3rd place finish! A true testament to their determination, teamwork, and school spirit.

From the first serve to the final point, our players showed incredible resilience, pushing through long rallies, daunting mental and physical walls, and moments of intense pressure. Each game brought new challenges, but our students met them head-on – always supporting one another, growing stronger as a team, and holding their heads high no matter the score.

Off the court, friendships were strengthened, new memories were made, and a shared love for the sport brought everyone closer. Whether it was cheering from the sidelines, sharing meals between games, or reflecting on the day's performance, the energy and connection among our students was inspiring.

A huge congratulations to our team for their 3rd place achievement – but even more so, for the courage, sportsmanship, and passion they displayed throughout the entire tournament. You represented Suzanne Cory High School with pride, and your efforts will be remembered for years to come.

Thank you to Aryius Alves for coaching us, Ms Hung for being there every game and supporting us, and the families who supported the team every step of the way. Here's to more rallies, more laughter, and even greater memories next year!

Christian Le (Volleyball Boys Captain) and Nior Khan (Volleyball Boys Vice Captain)

Western Metro Cross Country

A small team of 18 runners from SCHS qualified to attend the Western Metro Cross Country event held at Keilor Park Recreation Reserve. Against quality opponents on a fast track all of our SCHS students acquitted themselves well. Amongst the team were several stand out performances with Ahsen Yilmaz finishing 7th in her age group and Riley Parks winning the battle of the twins finishing 7th with Mitchell 10th meaning all three progress to the State Finals! The 17-20 age group boys team also covered themselves in glory finishing 2nd.

Damien Luci

Sports Coordinator

Wyndham City Awards

We are proud to recognise the outstanding contributions of two of our students, Meet Shah and Siya Gauri Singh, who have both been featured by Wyndham City Council in the latest edition of Wyndham News  (July–August 2025) for their remarkable efforts in leadership, volunteering, and community engagement.

Meet Shah (year 12) has recently been honoured as part of Volunteer Week for his ongoing commitment to supporting young people in our local community. For the past 18 months, Meet has been running  weekly chess sessions  at the Julia Gillard Library. Everyone at Suzanne Cory knows just how passionate Meet is about chess, and it’s wonderful to see him teaching others and sharing his knowledge and love of the game. His initiative, consistency, and generosity with his time exemplify the spirit of leadership and service we value so deeply.

Siya Gauri Singh, currently in Year 12, has been nominated as Wyndham’s Young Person of the Month, a testament to her extraordinary dedication across academics, leadership, and community involvement. Siya has earned multiple scholarships recognising her commitment to extracurricular activities, and in 2023, she was the proud recipient of the Australian Defence Long-Tan Leadership Award. Beyond her school commitments, she also volunteers as a youth writer for The Westside, using her voice to highlight the concerns and experiences of young people in Melbourne’s western suburbs.

We congratulate both Meet and Siya for their remarkable achievements. Your commitment to serving others, both within and beyond the school, reflects the very best of our values. 

Keep leading, inspiring, and making a difference!

Young Adas Award

Celebrating Our Budding Writers – The Young Adas Awards 2025

We are thrilled to share the exciting news that three of our talented students have been recognised in the prestigious Young Adas Award 2025, part of the Williamstown Literary Festival (Willy Lit Fest), one of Melbourne’s most beloved celebrations of storytelling and creativity.

A huge congratulations to Dinda Widya Murti (Year 12) and Gurleen Jhajj (Year 11), who were both Highly Commended in the Young Adas Short Story Prize. Their outstanding pieces of writing showcased originality, emotional depth, and a mastery of narrative that impressed the judging panel. We’re also incredibly proud of Sajanyaa Dhanasekaran (Year 9), who was named a Finalist—a fantastic achievement that speaks volumes about her creativity and potential as a writer.

Not only is this recognition a wonderful accomplishment, but Dinda and Gurleen’s stories have also been published in the official Young Adas Anthology, ensuring their voices are celebrated alongside other emerging young authors from across the region.

Opportunities like the Young Adas Award offer students a platform to go beyond classroom writing, to craft meaningful stories, and to pursue creative expression in a broader literary community. We are so proud to see our students embrace storytelling and take these bold steps in sharing their ideas and perspectives with the world.

For more information about the Williamstown Literary Festival and the Young Adas Awards, visit www.willylitfest.org.au.