By XAVIER SMERDON
TWO Hoppers Crossing students have been awarded for displaying some of the best teamwork and leadership skills in Australia.
Salomi Ganthala and Elena Tass from Heathdale Christian College were announced as winners of the Australian Defence Force’s Long Tan Leadership and Teamwork Awards last week.
The girls were nominated for the award by their teachers and were chosen as recipients for “their contribution towards enhancing community spirit within both the school and the broader community”.
Salomi recently finished her VCE exams and has spent the last year as school captain, while Elena is about to finish year 10.
Both girls have travelled to the Philippines with their school to volunteer at orphanages and both girls are also heavily involved in a range of different sports.
For winning the award, Elena will receive $250 and Salomi will receive $550 to go towards their further studies.
And while they both lead very busy lifestyles with all their commitments, both girls said they had no intentions of slowing down.
“I think it’s important to have a balance and make the most out of the opportunities you have,” Salomi said.
“Our school provides us with so many great opportunities but unless you take up those opportunities, you won’t benefit from them.”
“I’m not going to say no to something that I really want to do,” Elena said.
“I want to look back at all the opportunities I’ve been given and know that I made the most of them.”
Both girls are now planning return trips to the Philippines to continue some of the work they started there.
