Mai Abdelmawgoud joined GVGS in 2022 and commenced Year 10 after her family relocated from the southwest coast of Victoria to the Goulburn Valley.
“My family moved from Saudi Arabia to Australia six years ago and we initially lived in Portland for a few years,” she says.
“We moved to Shepparton on the first day of ECP. I remember arriving in town at 7am and being at school by 9am. I didn’t have my uniform or anything – I just jumped right in. GVGS was very different to the school I was at previously. At my previous school, there were 150 students in the entire school and now there were 100 students in my year level alone. Although it was really daunting, I felt an instant connection and made friends really easily.”
In 2022, Mai immediately flourished in her new surroundings and was awarded the ‘Learning Growth Award’.
“When I came to GVGS, I was struck by how many academically successful students there were – it made me want to pick up the pace and grow because the environment made me feel equal parts encouraged and challenged,” she says.
“I was surrounded by people that made me want to step up and I knew I was in a place that valued success. This all made me feel empowered to explore my passion for learning and asking questions.”
As Mai’s confidence grew, so did her willingness to explore new opportunities.
“I was shy in the beginning and definitely wasn’t the first to put my hand up to volunteer to help out,” she says.
“As time went on, I started looking into leadership roles and I was so happy when I found out I had been chosen as School Community prefect this year. Once I became a leader, I felt much more involved in the school community – everything really clicked together for me. Taking on this role made me step outside my comfort zone and I’m proud of being able to become a stronger and more confident person.”
In 2025, Mai plans to relocated to Melbourne and follow in her mum’s professional footsteps.
“I’m hoping to study medicine next year and I’m excited about that. I’m really grateful to have had a few early offers already, so it’s motivating me even more knowing I have options. I think I want to study at Monash University, but I’m open to studying anywhere in Australia,” she says.
“My mum’s an anesthetist and she’s my biggest motivator. She works so hard and she’s such an inspiration to me – watching her succeed in her career has been really eye opening. She’s passionate about rural health and ensuring everyone has equal access to high-quality healthcare, no matter where you live – I think once I’ve completed my studies I’d like to focus on that too.”