NASCA Youth Awards 2025: celebrating Young Indigenous Excellence
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5 December 2025
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3 min read
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Daniela Milanesi
NASCA proudly celebrated the achievements of our students at the 2025 NASCA Youth Awards. Held on 7th November 2025, the evening was a powerful showcase of dedication and leadership across our core pillars: Culture, Education, Community, and Pathways.
The event successfully brought together students, families, community Elders, and NASCA staff for a night of recognition, guided by the impressive NASCA student MCs, Cerenity and Desiree.
The NASCA Award Recipients
The NASCA Youth Awards are designed to recognise young leaders who are actively shaping their communities and futures. The recipients this year demonstrated maturity and commitment well beyond their years.
Youth of the Year Award
This is the highest honour and a new introduction to the annual awards, celebrating a student who embodies all of of NASCA’s core pillars.
Khloe Vale (Kempsey High School)
Khloe is an exceptional young leader who integrates Culture, Education, and Community. Her recognition stemmed from her commitment to her Dunghutti culture as a Dance Leader, her academic discipline and service to her community through local volunteer work.
Watch Khloe’s video
Culture Award
This award recognises students who engage with their heritage, creating a strong sense of identity, belonging, and cultural understanding within their school and wider community.
Aaliyha Roberts (Ballina Coast High School)
Aaliyha showed incredible strength and leadership in keeping her cultural connection strong, even after the devastating 2022 floods impacted her family and community. She makes her commitment visible by performing and promoting culture through dance workshops for local primary schools and the wider community.
Watch Aaliyha’s video
Kyshaya Fritz-Hoskins (Melville High School)
Kyshaya is a powerful role model who genuinely respects cultural identity and inclusion. Her commitment involves actively promoting understanding within her school, especially through a mentoring role in the cultural dance group, and consistently challenging cultural stereotyping.
Education Award
This award honours the hard work, resilience, and dedication required for academic and personal growth.
Eboni Lowther (Singleton High School)
Eboni earned the Education Award for showing extraordinary dedication by successfully juggling three massive commitments: keeping up high marks in her regular high school subjects, managing the hands-on workload of a nursing School-Based Apprenticeship/Traineeship (SBAT), and even tackling a university-level first-year nursing course at the same time.
Community Award
This category celebrates students who build community connections, uplifting others through shared cultural knowledge, support, and active civic engagement.
Matahn Fernando (Kempsey High School)
Matahn truly embodies community strength. She was recognised for her contributions, including volunteering at important local events, sharing her culture as both a Dance Leader and a Aboriginal artist, and using her talent in sport to build teamwork and pride.
Kirra-Lee Moir (Canobolas High School)
Kirra was honoured for establishing strong connections with the Elders, learning traditional practices and ensuring that vital knowledge is passed down to the younger generation, fostering a strong, connected community.
Pathways Award
Focusing on future readiness, this award highlights students’ proactiveness in developing robust post-graduation educational and employment journeys.
Kaitlyn Phillips (Alexandria Park Community School)
Kaitlyn claimed this award for her proactive and mature commitment to post-school planning. Her dedication was demonstrated by her consistent and engaged participation in Pathways sessions and the CareerFit camp, ensuring she is well-prepared for her tertiary studies and career transition.
A Stronger Future
The 2025 NASCA Youth Awards was a night of celebration but also a powerful affirmation of the future leadership and strength of our students.
When our young people are connected to Culture, to Community, and to each other everything else follows. And these award winners are living proof of that.
We extend a massive congratulations to every nominee and winner. Your collective commitment to your culture, education, and community is truly inspiring and lays the foundation for a stronger future for all.
