ST Joseph’s Regional College’s Nikki Parsons has won a coveted writing award contested by students from across the state on issues that matter.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Nikki’s piece in the The Whitlam Institute’s 2017 What Matters? Writing Competition called for the traditional Aboriginal languages of each community to be taught in the school curriculum.
She was named a finalist from 1100 entries and took out the year 7-8 category in Sydney.
Whitlam Institute patron Lisa Wilkinson AM, who used excerpts from Nikki’s winning piece in her closing speech at the award’s ceremony, said the calibre of writing in this year’s competition lived up to expectations.
“They hold up a mirror to our society, and the reflection contains concern for human rights, a strong sense of identity, and of injustice. The essays bestowed on me a sense of the fundamental responsibility of adults to pass on a positive legacy,” she said.
Director of the Whitlam Institute Eric Sidoti said ‘What Matters? offers a window into the lives of young Australians: not just what concerns them but what inspires them.
“For more than 10 years now we have been reminded how passionate, observant and articulate young people are, and how deeply driven they are by a sense of social justice,” he said.