On Monday, 9 September Year 10 Mathieu student Kayla B attended the Olympic Change Makers Forum 2024: Inspiring Change and Celebrating Leadership.

The Forum brought together an impressive lineup of Australia’s future sports leaders and inspiring Olympians. 

This year’s event included a number of Olympians such as boxer Harry Garside, rugby sevens star Chloe Dalton, swimming sensation Lani Pallister and water polo champion Keesja Gofers. These athletes shared their personal journeys, offering invaluable insights on leadership and perseverance.

As a swimmer (and netballer) Kayla was very keen and excited to spend time with Lani and ask her some questions.

The forum offered Kayla and other participants from across the country the chance to connect with some of the best in sport, engaging in meaningful conversations about leadership, resilience, and the impact sport can have on creating change.

Kayla said “This event is a good reminder that sport is not just about competition but about fostering leadership and making a difference in the world.

“Sport is a powerful tool to create change. Whether that be supporting a teammate, mentoring younger athletes, using your sport to raise funds for worthy causes, or simply boosting mental health and physical fitness. 

“It was wonderful to be in a room with such inspiring athletes within my peer level and at the high-performance level.”

Kayla is a former JPC Netball Mel Dunbar award recipient and was the 2023 JPC Swimming Athlete of the Year. Kayla was also the 2023 Canberra Netball Association President’s Award recipient for her contribution to the netball community both on and off the court.

Well done, Kayla! We are excited to see where your future sporting achievements will lead you.