This week, I’ve been thinking about what it means to be inspired and how inspiration often comes from the most unexpected places.
One young woman, Michaela Loukas, a Year 12 student from Marist Catholic College, Penshurst, has given us all a moment to stop and take notice. While completing her HSC, Michaela built an artificial intelligence model designed to help detect breast cancer earlier for her Science Extension project. That’s not just clever — that’s innovation in action.
Balancing Year 12 with the technical and emotional weight of such a project is extraordinary. The drive it takes to sit the HSC in 5 to 6 subjects and at the same time build life-saving technology is the kind of story that reminds us just how capable, thoughtful and determined our young people are.
And it couldn’t be more timely. As HSC results come out this week, we’re going to hear more stories… stories of grit, innovation, kindness, and ambition. We’ll hear them from right across the state, including from here in the North West, where local students are just as driven, just as bright, and just as ready to contribute. Whether they’re pursuing trades, university, community leadership, creative fields or emerging technologies, our young people are stepping confidently into a world that needs their energy and ideas.
It’s worth pausing to recognise that this generation isn’t simply preparing for the future, they’re already shaping it. Their ideas are fresh, their values are strong, and they approach challenges with a confidence and curiosity that bodes well for all of us.
To the students receiving their results: whatever number appears on that sheet, remember this — your potential is not defined by it. Your character, your creativity, and your commitment to making a difference count for far more. And examples like Michaela’s remarkable AI achievement show the limitless paths you can take when passion and purpose meet.
So, let’s back our young people — in the North West and across the state. Let’s celebrate them loudly, support them generously, and recognise the remarkable future they are already building, right now, in real time.
Denise McHugh is an experienced educator in Tamworth. She is Chair of the NSW ALP Education and Skills Committee and Deputy President of the Independent Education Union (IEU).
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