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Ryan Seck is no ordinary HSC student. Extraordinary would be a more appropriate way to describe his achievements.

Since year 7, Ryan has been a selective student at Bonnyrigg High School while living with a degenerative physical disability and using a powerchair.

As he waits for his HSC results, he says he’s not feeling “too nervous” as he’s already snared an early entry offer for an Engineering degree from Western Sydney University

All the while, Ryan has been juggling his academic studies with his duty as a member of the national powerchair football team, the Poweroos, who have won a spot at the 2026 World Cup in Argentina.

Increasing the pressure on Ryan was his participation in the final game which paved the way to next year’s World Cup. It was held during the HSC exams.

Teachers and school learning support officers (SLSOs) at Bonnyrigg High School have been instrumental to Ryan’s success in his high school years and his last two HSC years in particular.

“They help take me to class, set me up, allow me to perform my best academically,” Ryan said. “They also help me take notes and whenever I’m away, whether that’s medical or sport, they always go into my classes and gather resources for me and supporting me with that side.

“As a result of the help and support from the school, I’ve been able to receive an offer from Western Sydney University (in Parramatta) to study engineering.”

His elite sporting career kicked off after a camp for people with disabilities where he was introduced to Powerchair Football which appealed to his competitive nature.

“That was the first time I tried the sport and really liked it,” he said. “I didn’t even know about disability sports in the beginning. Eventually I got more and more into the scene and thought this can actually turn into something.

“I’m very competitive. I like fast paced, high intensity sports. I like sports in general as well.”

Success on the football pitch culminated in him being selected for the Australian Poweroos team where his leadership qualities came to the fore.

“I’m highly analytical,” Ryan said. “I’m good at managing a team. I vice captained the national team on my debut. It was the Asian Cup equivalent, and we ended up beating Japan in the finals 2-1 in Queensland."

Ryan is “incredibly excited” about the Aussie team qualifying for the next World Cup which will be held in Argentina in October 2026.

“It will be the top 10 teams in the world and Australia will represent the Oceanic region,” Ryan said.

But he is also realistic about the Australian team’s chances of success at the World Cup after finishing sixth at the last one in October 2023.

“Australia being so isolated from the rest of the Powerchair Football world; being so far away geographically, we’ve always been a little bit behind the rest of the world,” he said.

“So, in competitions we can’t play other countries regularly like the European teams. And us in Australia itself we are so spread out that we can’t have national competitions all the time. So, we’re not expected to win.

“We came sixth last time and I think we can challenge for fourth.”