Congratulations to 2020 Alumna student Angie Zhou who is one of ten Queensland State High School students to receive the prestigious 2021 TJ Ryan Memorial Medal and Scholarship.
The TJ Ryan Memorial Medal represents a long-standing tradition of recognising educational achievement in Queensland. The award is a memorial to Thomas Joseph Ryan, former teacher, barrister and Queensland Premier (1915–1919), and is provided to students who demonstrate a strong commitment to high academic achievement and outstanding leadership in both their school and the local community.
From 1927 to 1970, the TJ Ryan Memorial Scholarship was awarded to the student who achieved the highest result in the state scholarship examination. The scholarship program ceased with the end of these public examinations.
In 1993, the TJ Ryan Awards were re-introduced by the Queensland Government. The award was open to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who demonstrated academic excellence and who displayed leadership qualities through their achievements in Year 12. From 1996, the awards were expanded to all students who demonstrate outstanding leadership qualities and academic excellence during their senior years at high school.
In 2003, the award was renamed the TJ Ryan Memorial Medal and Scholarships but has also been known as the Premier's Awards and the Lilley Medal. Up to ten TJ Ryan Memorial Medal and Scholarships are awarded each year.
Each year, the Queensland Department of Education awards: up to 10 TJ Ryan Memorial Medalists who receive a scholarship of up to $10,000 over 5 years and a certificate of recognition, as well as up to 5 TJ Ryan Highly Commended award recipients who receive a one-off cash payment of $1,000 and a certificate of recognition, as well as, up to 20 TJ Ryan Merit certificate awards.
During her time at the Academy, Angie was one of the Academy's leading citizens and an outstanding scholar. Angie was the recipient of the prestigious Peter Doherty Outstanding Senior Student STEM Award as well as the Griffith Health Award for excellence in the IB Core in 2020. Angie has taken her considerable talents in science to the global stage as a selected representative of the Australian delegation to the Asia-Pacific Forum for Science Talented in Taiwan in 2019.
Angie entered the Australian High Schools Cancer Competition in 2019. The Competition required Angie to study a Cancer Syllabus which has been developed with leading cancer researchers and academics from the University of Melbourne. Angie was runner up in the 2019 competition and was awarded a summer internship with the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute in Melbourne. Angie was also selected to attend the National Youth Science Forum in January 2019.
Through CAS, Angie maintained a creative, healthy and humanitarian involvement whilst undertaking a challenging academic programme. Through her CAS component, Angie seized many opportunities to develop and grow as a person. As an elected member of the Student Executive fulfilling the role as Vice House Captain (2019) and House Captain (2020) she displayed leadership skills by organising and participating in many student-led activities. Angie was a confident and capable leader and her skills have also been acknowledged through appointment as a QAHS STEM Mentor Ambassador (2018 and 2019) as well as a Gold Coast City Council Junior Mayor (2019).
We congratulate Angie! A worthy recipient of this very prestigious prize.
Nominations for the 2022 TJ Ryan Memorial Medal and Scholarship program are open from the beginning of Term 4. Students interested in being considered will be required to submit a self-nomination for consideration in the Academy Selection process, as each Queensland secondary school is only able to nominate one student annually.
Mrs Alita Lee
Deputy Principal