06 Dec 2022

Year 9 students Mia and Jane at the 2022 NAILA
Jane (left) and Mia (right) at the NAILA Awards Ceremony on Friday 2 December

Warm congratulations to Year 9 students Mia and Jane on receiving first and third place respectively in the Middle School category of the 2022 National Australia Indonesia Language Awards (NAILA). Their achievements were acknowledged at the NAILA Awards Ceremony on the evening of Friday 2 December, held at the Sidney Myer Asia Centre, the University of Melbourne.

“NAILA was a great opportunity through which I was able to practise speaking in Indonesian, an aspect which can be hard to practice when learning a language. It was a good chance to be able to practise our Indonesian skills and knowledge outside of a classroom perspective. I thoroughly enjoy learning Indonesian because I like learning about Indonesia’s culture, and I think that it is important to be able to communicate with one of the closest countries to us.” - Jane

As a first-place recipient, Mia had the opportunity to present her speech to a national audience which included diplomatic, political, and business leaders in Australia-Indonesia relations. She was also invited to the NAILA Awardees’ Weekend where she participated in Indonesian cultural workshops and shared an Indonesian meal.

“My favourite thing about Indonesian is my supportive class. We enjoy watching Indonesian films and playing competitive vocabulary games together. I chose to study Indonesian after being introduced to it in Year 6 by Pak Eddy, who sang and played the guitar every lesson. It was fun and the language so unique and unknown to me that I decided to continue it.” - Mia

Mia (Year 9) receives her award at the NAILA Awards Ceremony