Melville High School captain Taylah Iverach receives state award

The Melville High School captain was involved with the launch of the Dunghutti dictionary; has given speeches in language; led her school's Reconciliation Walk and, now, is the recipient of the 2023 NSW Zonta Achievement Award for a Young Indigenous Woman.

The proud Dunghutti and Gumbaynggirr student was presented the state award on Monday, July 31, in a special school assembly surrounded by staff and fellow students.

"I feel very honoured that they chose me, " Taylah said.

"There were over 40 applicants across the state and then they chose me."

Taylah first learned of the award when Melville High School Community Engagement Senior leader Kayla White approached her with the application.

Together they worked on the essay style questions and getting a principal recommendation for Tayla.

"Putting all the pieces together and having that recommendation, I knew there is no student more perfect for this position," Ms White said.

"She fits the criteria perfectly."

Taylah also helps facilitate language learning at school, coaches netball and is involved in a number of school holiday events.

Melville High School principal Andrew Ryder said that the recent state award was fantastic.

"It's great for Taylah but good for the school and for all our students," he said.

"Especially our junior years to be able to look up to Taylah and see what's possible at Melville High School and in public education."

The state award is for young women of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background currently enrolled in Year 12 or the TAFE equivalent who has made a marked contribution to the life of her school and community.

Zonta NSW/ACT Chair Bronlyn Schoer said Taylah demonstrated outstanding leadership and service both within her school and the wider community.

"She connects deeply to her Indigenous heritage and language," Ms Schoer said.

"And has a clear vision of her career goal of studying medicine and to eventually work in health and community development programs in regional NSW."

Taylah also helps facilitate language learning at school, coaches netball and is involved in a number of school holiday events but in her award application, she shared her passion for medicine and plans for after high school.

"I want to do a residency to become a cardiothoracic surgeon," she said.

"And then once I've done that for about maybe 10 to 15 years, I hope to do something similar to the Fred Hollows Foundation, and travel around.

"But I would focus more on heart health and just better access to healthcare in rural and remote areas for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people."

Cardiovascular health is a matter close to Taylah's heart.

When she was just 16-years-old, her beloved Nan Kay passed away from a sudden and severe heart attack.

The death of her Nan, who was like a second mother to Taylah, has driven her into a career of medicine.

"I always knew I wanted to be a doctor,"she said.

"But once that had happened that kind of pushed me to go into cardio [and] to take my experience and to help others not experience the same thing."

But Taylah has been helping heart health since she was in the womb.

When her mother was pregnant with Taylah, she went for a regular health check up where doctors found she had an irregular heartbeat.

Further investigations of her mother's arrhythmia led doctors to discover a hole in her heart.

Had she not been pregnant at the time, it's unlikely that Taylah's mother would have discovered the heart problem so soon or gotten the needed treatment in time.

"She talks about it all the time," Taylah said.

"She says 'If I wasn't pregnant with you, I wouldn't be here today'.

Ms White said Taylah was born to heal hearts.

"She saved [her mother's] before she even took her first breath," she said.

"She comes from a small country town and she's going to change the world."

Despite all her accomplishments, Taylah said she didn't really think of herself as a role model until she received her award at the school assembly.

A younger Indigenous student approached Taylah afterwards to tell her she wants to do something similiar when she becomes a senior student.

"That was really heartwarming to see I actually am making a difference," Taylah said.

"I also have a younger sister.

"I hope with all this stuff that I'm doing that she'll grow up knowing that she can do anything she wants...she doesn't have to put herself in a box because she's from a country town."

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