Human Appeal Australia hosted its 17th Annual Year 12 Muslim High Achievement Awards of 2024 celebrating the spectacular efforts of 538 Muslim students across the country scoring ATAR’s above 90. The HAA Annual Muslim High Achievement Awards is a scheme aimed to recognise and reward Muslim students from all over Australia who have demonstrated outstanding results in their year 12 academic studies. The students are given awards and gifted the latest iPad as a continuous effort to promote positivity and community engagement as well as encourage dedication amongst the youth within their academic journeys.
The awards kicked off on the 23rd of February in Canberra for the very first time since the start of the initiative, with the event and community dinner hosted at the Islamic School of Canberra. The memorable night, which commenced with an enriching recitation of the Quran, celebrated eight incredible students and included a special performance by Preacher Moss visiting from the United States, who attended all of this year’s high achiever award events across the country.
The following day, 17 high achieving students in Adelaide, South Australia, had their moment in the spotlight with another wholesome community gathering to celebrate these remarkable accomplishments. Following a spiritual Quran recitation, the State Director Ali Kadir delivered a warm welcoming speech before other guest speakers engaged with attendees including Sheikh Mohammed El-Sayed as well as member of the legislative council, Mira El Dinnawi, who emphasised the vital role of education and ethics of success. Laughter echoed through the venue thanks to the comedic brilliance of Preacher Moss, whose humour was not only entertaining but also carried educational insights for students and parents alike.
On the 25th of February, the HAA achievement awards were hosted in Perth in Western Australia at the Duxton Hotel. It was a blessed night filled with joy and great company, one which saw an impressive 43 students honoured and rewarded for their incredible efforts during the 2023 HSC. The night’s schedule mirrored that of other cities, with introductory speaker including Issam Chaouk, Director of Projects and Financial Growth Developments at Human Appeal. Abdullah Khan, executive principal at the Australian Islamic College and Sheikh Mohammed Shakeeb both gave valuable insights on the plight of pursuing excellence and the importance of education in Islam. HAA’s Perth representative, Ahmed Al Khatib, reminded guests to keep the people suffering in Gaza in our prayers during this difficult time.
The following weekend was reserved for the next three states; Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales in honouring their high achieving students.
The Queensland Year 12 Muslim Achievement Awards’ held on Friday 1st March at the SUNPAC venue in Brisbane. It was a full house event with 250 attendees and the stars of the show were the 44 high achievers from all over the state. Key speaker on the night was Dr Salih Ibn Muhammed – General Secretary of Australian Islamic Medical Association (AIMA) in Queensland, who is also a past student at the Islamic College of Brisbane. Dr. Salih shared his journey on the night and enlightened guests on his academic achievements, the subsequent successes in his career and contributions to the community. Sheikh Yahya Adel Ibrahim from Perth also shared some words of wisdom in which gave students a more insightful perspective on their lives and human development.
Down in Victoria on March 2nd, the Achievement Awards was held at Altona Reception in Melbourne and was attended by students, accompanying family members, members of the community and school principals. The event celebrated an astounding 154 students who were all awarded certificates of recognition and gifts for achieving ATAR’s above 90. The ceremony was opened with a Quran recitation by Osama Akkad – one of the achievers and award recipients. The guest speakers were preceded by an introductory word from Sheikh Rabih Baytie who is the Victoria branch manager for Human Appeal Australia. This was followed by various speeches delivered by guest speakers including Mohamed Mohideen, the Victorian Multicultural Commissioner and Adel Salman, President of the Islamic Council of Victoria, amongst others.
The final event for the 17th Annual Muslim High Achievers Awards was held in Sydney, New South Wales on the 3rd of March which celebrated the largest group of students in the country this year. The event honored an astonishing 272 students who reached excellence in the previous academic year. Following a Quran recitation, a warm welcome was addressed to the guests by Human Appeal Australia’s Director, Bashar Al-Jamal. Notable guests included the honorable MP Jihad Dib who delivered a word to the attendees and participated in handing out the first batch of awards for the night. Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Bilal Hayek was also present to congratulate and honor the high achievers along with their families. The event had come to an end with another special performance from guest Preacher Moss to add to the already joyful atmosphere, sealing the awards season for this year.
Part of the mission at HAA is to help enunciate the successes and achievements of local communities and particularly the youth as shown through another successful year of high achievers. It is crucial that there is a continued effort to push for dedication and promote the upholding of values and ethics within the community. Human Appeal Australia congratulates the incredible scores of students this year from all over the country who have shown exceptional efforts in their academic journeys and we wish them all the best on their future endeavors.