Mary Shamoon

Mary recently presented at our College Assembly – watch Mary’s speech here

Good afternoon parents, staff, and students. It’s an absolute privilege to be back here today, at the place where my journey began. Standing here feels like a full-circle moment. It honestly feels like just yesterday that I stood up here as a nervous 18-year-old giving my Dux speech. It’s hard to believe that five years have passed since graduation. Public speaking is still not my forte but a colleague of mine recently said that you must express gratitude to everyone who helped you get to where you are I’m going to take that advice on board as I speak to you all.

Let me start by sharing where I am now.

After high school, I pursued teaching. For the past year, I’ve been teaching VCE English and IB Language and Literature at Wesley College. Teaching has been an incredible privilege. I find it such a humbling profession because young people have an incredible capacity for learning, questioning, and making a difference in the world. Over these five years in education, I’ve experienced so much personal growth. I’ve met incredible colleagues who have become lifelong friends. I’ve maintained strong friendships with some of my high school peers, I’ve had the chance to travel. I graduated from university, moved houses, and navigated the exciting yet unpredictable path of early adulthood.

Looking back, I can’t help but reflect on the experiences and people from high school who shaped me into the person I am today. What inspired me during my time here wasn’t just the lessons I learned in the classroom but also the values instilled by this school community: I feel like I can say that confidently, now that I’ve seen other schools. These values being perseverance, overcoming obstacles, valuing diversity, understanding perspective. Now I promise you, they’re not forcing me to say this, but I owe so much to the teachers who went above and beyond for me—not just as educators but as mentors. I think sometimes we overlook incredible creativity and personality takes to teach. My teachers encouraged me to aim higher than I thought I could. And, of course, my peers played a huge role in my journey. High school friendships are truly special, and I’m so grateful that some of those bonds have lasted through the years.

To the students sitting here today:

Whether you’re in Year 12 or just beginning high school, I encourage you to embrace this chapter of your life. Take risks, ask questions, and challenge yourself. Take the opportunity to connect with your teachers, seek feedback, and approach every conversation with respect and an open mind.

When asked what motivated me, I realised that I couldn’t point to a single source. I was always highly competitive but looking back I think discipline and devotion. You have to want something and love the idea achieving a high ATAR, it has to be a part of who you are, and you can’t do that without putting in the work. Motivation is fleeting—it comes and goes—but discipline is what keeps you moving forward. Establish a routine that becomes non-negotiable, something you stick to not out of obligation but because it’s simply who you are. “Try telling yourself, I am the student is going put in the work” I recently watched a motivational video that said “the difficulty of the path that you’re on is the very thing that gives it value. The harder it feels right now, the more valuable it is likely to be on the other side.” So next time you tell yourself that a subject or SAC is too hard say good because it’s going to be worth it.

These years may feel like they’ll last forever but trust me—they’ll be gone before you know it. Make the most of them. And to the parents and staff here today: Thank you for the vital

role you play in this community. Your support and guidance are what make moments like this possible.

In closing, I want to express my gratitude once again for inviting me back. This school gave me so much more than an education; it gave me confidence in who I am, perspective, and a sense of purpose. I carry with immense pride the fact that I went to school in Broadmeadows, and it remains a defining part of who I am.

Thank you.

Jerome Catallo

Good afternoon, everyone. Firstly, thank you for inviting me to speak to you all. It’s good to be back after five years, which sounds incredibly long. It’s bringing back a lot of memories, for sure. Mostly good ones.

But yes, I’m a Bench Clerk at VCAT. It’s given me a lot of experience working in an office or professional setting, since that’s where a lot of jobs are. And it hasn’t just taught me work and career experience, but social experience and life experience. And most of all, I really enjoy my job, and as long as you enjoy what you do, it’s all worth it.

But enough of what I’m doing now. Let’s go back to when I was a student here like you, and what inspired me to do well. Or in other words, how I made school into more of a passion. To be honest, the college duxs inspired me, especially my sister who was the dux in 2015. So look up to the duxs. They were all students like you and humans like you. If they can become high-achieving students from nothing, then you can too.

Honestly. If it’s too hard to connect to the duxs, think of your teachers. They did not force me to say this to you, I promise you that. But yes, teachers inspired me because of their great knowledge, and they are pretty fun if you behave in class.

What also inspired me was applying what I learned to the real world. Statistics from Maths, how water works around us from Chemistry, how humans behave from Psychology. It made school way more useful. So change your mindset if you haven’t already. Link what you learn to your day-to-day life. I know it can be hard to do, but school doesn’t exist in a bubble. It’s not the be-all and end-all. There’s more out there which you will be a part of or already are a part of. If you can’t make school a passion, make it into a tool for your future. You’re all going to grow up and experience more of the world, and you’d want to bring, not only the concepts, but the good work habits you learn from high school. For the Year 7s, I know it’s still a long time but it’s better to think about it now. Otherwise, what are you learning for?

Next, how did I remain motivated while so much schoolwork and commitments got thrown at me? The clear answer is people. People motivated me. My family, especially my parents, motivated me. Have parents and siblings that regularly encourage you to do your work nicely. Parents, help your children psychologically, but don’t pressure them. The teachers also motivated me. Some of them might not show it, but most teachers really want you to do well. So don’t disappoint them, they want the best for you. Friends also motivated me. Have friends that are a good influence, who can encourage you, make you feel happy, and who you can complain about the work with. Help each other. And I motivated myself. I wanted to see myself succeed, and you should want to see yourself succeed too. How you define success is up to you, but set realistic expectations and stick to them. And don’t burn yourselves out, or it will be hard to stay motivated. Enjoy yourselves from time to time.

The last thing I will talk about is why is it good that you’re here at Hume? What makes it a great school? There’s two things that I thought of. The first is, from what I can tell, the school has the ability to evolve. I looked at the website for the first time in a while and I’m like, wow. Instagram? Videos for graduation? I wish we had that when I was here.

The second good thing about this school is that it does a very great job of educating you and is humble about it. Like so many of us have proven, you can learn a lot and do well here without having to pay extra like in private schools. The teachers here are great, and they aren’t necessarily better anywhere else. We all learn the same thing, and in the end, we’ll all be going out into the same place.

Well, I’d love to keep talking and offer my advice but for the sake of time, I’ll have to stop here. Once again, thank you for inviting me here and thank you for listening. Do your best, but remember to enjoy yourselves, and always be respectful. All the best with your studies and your futures.

Mary Shamoon

In 2019, Mary Shamoon graduated from Hume Central Secondary College with an ATAR of 97.65. After receiving College Dux from Hume Central Secondary College in 2019, Mary pursued a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) at La Trobe University. Her passion for English and Literature led her to pursue teaching. In university, she is a member of her campus book club and majors in both English and Humanities. Mary is currently an English Tutor at Hume Central Secondary College whilst also working at her family business. As a recent VCE graduate, Mary has helped current students build the confidence needed to successfully complete their studies through providing study and exam revision advice at the school’s Alumni Mentoring Program. Through this program, she wishes to maintain connections with her school community, act as a positive role-model and cultivate motivation amongst current and prospective VCE students.

Iswa Chaudhry

Iswa Chaudhry joined Hume Central Secondary College in 2011 after arriving to Australia as a recent migrant from Pakistan. She graduated in 2015 and began her Bachelor of Applied Science (Psychology) at RMIT in 2016. She then completed Honours in Psychological Science at The University of Melbourne and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Clinical and Forensic Psychology at Swinburne University; she was a recipient of two scholarships at both these universities. Iswa’s research focuses on family violence in culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Australia.

Throughout her education journey, Iswa maintained a role in the PSD program at Hume Central Secondary College. As part of her current doctoral degree, Iswa has also completed her placements across a range of clinical and forensic settings, including a Psychology Clinic, Forensicare, and Headspace. She has recently accepted a role as a Forensic clinician at a private psychology organisation. She endeavours to work as a psychologist (clinical and forensic), a researcher, an academic, a policy advisor and an advocate.

Bree Baddawi

Bree Baddawi graduated from Hume Central Secondary College in 2018 with an ATAR of 85.20, achieving study scores of 43 in English and 41 in Media. Following her passion for multifaceted design, Bree pursued a Bachelor of Design at The University of Melbourne, graduating in 2022 with a double major in Graphic Design and Performance Design. Since 2019, Bree has operated her own graphic design business with specialisations in branding and social media, and is an English tutor at Hume Central Secondary College’s Town Park Senior Campus. A member of the Alumni Mentoring Program since 2021, Bree has aided Year 12 students in building their confidence and revision skills to successfully prepare the young people of the Hume Central Secondary college community for exams and future endeavours.

Hume Central Secondary College is launching its Alumni Network and is looking for former students (alumni) volunteers to become members of the Alumni Network and the Alumni Network Committee.

The Alumni Network will aim to support current and future generations of students as positive role-models, inspiring speakers, mentors and work experience providers. Drawing from the success of our Alumni Mentoring Program, hearing from alumni can transform students’ motivation to succeed and inspire them to work harder and become more confident in overcoming personal obstacles.

The Alumni Network will also provide an opportunity for our former students to keep in touch with their school community and build a stronger sense of belonging. We envisage that this will become part of the growing story of our school culture and future and that the stories of our many alumni will help write the history of our College.

The Alumni Network Committee will collaborate with the College Leadership and support College events such as:

• The Alumni Mentoring Program
• The production of College Yearbooks
• College Assemblies and Graduation Nights
• College Staff Meetings

To join our alumni community and get involved, please email us with your contact details and a brief biographical statement.

Email: alumni@humecentralsc.vic.edu.au