Held in April, the award ceremony was broadcast through the online conferencing app WebEx due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Maddy said while she would have liked to experience the ceremony at a theatre with her family watching on from the crowd, she was still ecstatic and grateful to receive the award.
“I was told that I was nominated and that there was a slight chance I’d get it … I didn’t take much interest because I never thought I’d actually get it,” she said.
“I’d love to give a shout out to my VCAL nominator, my friends and family as well as all my VCAL teachers because they’ve really helped me pursue my learning.”
The VCAL Achievement Awards celebrate outstanding achievements of young people who participate in and complete a VCAL qualification.
Maddy has taken on several community projects during the past two years such as designing this year’s Year 12 shirt and running a winter sports contest for the primary school students.
Kyabram P-12 College's VCAL co-ordinator Mitch Coombs said Maddy had regularly used her exceptional teamwork and leadership skills to help benefit the school as well as the community.
“Maddy has been an excellent addition to VCAL since she began her Intermediate certificate at the start of 2019. She is a highly motivated and self-driven student who is very determined to get the most out of herself,” he said.
“Maddy was a driving force in constructing and installing the stud walls and bookshelves for the Kyabram and Community Book Swap which was initiated by a team of VCAL students. Equally, she took the lead in planning and following through on storm-water plumbing which captures water in our school from four large buildings. This enabled the revitalisation of a heavily neglected part of the school so that she was able to leave a lasting legacy on the college as a whole.
“Maddy’s overall initiative and leadership in all regards really set her apart from her peers and indicates a great future for her.”
Looking ahead to the future, Maddy said she was planning on taking a gap year after graduation, and would then work towards a nursing degree.
“I feel like I’m ready to go out into the workforce now. If I was still in VCE I’d probably feel a little bit more insecure and worried going out there, but because of VCAL I feel completely confident and pretty set,” she said.
“Just give it a crack. I totally recommend VCAL because it’s awesome.”
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