Three of Mandurah's brightest young stars have been recognised for their dedicated volunteer work and impressive leadership skills.
Jessica Jane Fenton, Jamie-Anne Madigan and Xanthe Turner are among the finalists in this year's Western Australia Young Achiever Awards.
Now in their fifth year, the Young Achiever Awards aim to promote and showcase the positive achievements of young people up to 29 years old in WA, with monetary prizes and trophies for the winners.
The three young women have been nominated for the Catholic Education WA Young Leadership Award for young people who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, passion, selflessness and ethical decision making.
The award recognises those whose actions reflect Gospel values and who are committed to contributing positively to their community.
Dawesville 22-year-old, Jessica Jane Fenton, has been demonstrating strong leadership abilities since she was in high school with positions in peer mentor programs, a role as house prefect and outside of academia in her surf club and football team.
After starting her double major in Medical and Psychological Sciences at the University of Western Australia (UWA) in 2017, she rose up the ranks as the Resident Advisor for Outreach and Social Justice to the Senior Resident Advisor.
In this position she has made positive changes for St Thomas More College residents and participated in voluntary programs from Edmund Rice Camps WA to the Ronald McDonald House and Red Frogs Australia.
Jessica said she was "surprised" to be nominated, but honoured to be recognised.
"I never did anything for the recognition so I struggle to compute in my brain that I would get recognised for this. It's always been very natural for me to do," she said.
"I was never doing this because I want to be recognised, I just want to make sure everyone else has the same amazing opportunities.
"I want to get the best for everyone, ensure that their voices are heard and they feel like they are in a comfortable, safe environment."
Read more:
Jamie-Anne Madigan has been heavily involved in youth volunteer organisations in Mandurah for many years, including the Youth on Leadership and Making Waves Youth Leadership groups, and has been a strong advocate for many local campaigns, such as Heal Peel and Mandurah Matters.
The 18-year-old from Lakelands is now gearing up for her first year of Business Law at UWA and hopes to continue developing her leadership skills.
Jamie-Anne said she felt privileged to be among such impressive company.
"It feels really good, really special, to be nominated. I'm honoured someone would think so highly of me," she said.
"Volunteering is so important to me because it's about giving back.
"We moved over from Ireland so it was an easy way for me to get involved in the community and a lot of people I looked up to were involved as well."
It feels really good, really special, to be nominated. I'm honoured someone would think so highly of me.
- Jamie-Anne Madigan
Mandurah's Xanthe Turner has been making a name for herself in the community since before she was a teenager - volunteering countless hours in the local arts scene, encouraging creative collaboration and helping people from all walks of life.
The 17-year-old runs her own small press and has published six books, including Mandurian Stories - an anthology of pictures, photos, poems and stories from people all over Mandurah.
Xanthe, whose boundless energy is infectious, said she just wanted to "keep doing what I'm doing".
"I'm really excited to be nominated because I just enjoy doing what I do," she said.
"I'm studying towards a Bachelor of Arts one unit at a time and doing a bunch of volunteering at the Peel Zoo and am part of the Youth Reference Group.
"I'm doing a whole heap of stuff all over the place and as long as I can keep doing that, I'll be happy."
And, although you would forgive three people nominated for the same award for being a little competitive, there is nothing but love and support between these inspiring young women.
"It's my favourite thing to hear that there are really successful young women that are putting themselves forward as names to be known," Jessica said.
"It's phenomenal seeing what you guys are doing and I would recommend you never let a single person to tell you you can't go further or be something extra."
Jamie-Anne and Xanthe added that living in Mandurah had helped them to achieve their goals.
"Mandurah really facilitates people who want to make a difference - all the tools are available if you want to go looking for them," Jamie-Anne said.
"It feels small in Mandurah because it is all connected and I think you find a lot of opportunities here that you might not find elsewhere," Xanthe added.
The 2020 WA Young Achiever Awards will be judged on March 18 with the winners to be announced at an awards gala presentation dinner on June 5.
For more information about the WA Young Achiever Awards, visit the website.
