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Zeyad Al-Dulaimi displays a confidence and maturity that belies his relative youth. His level-headedness probably has something to do with his life experience. The Year 12 student at Liverpool Boys High School was born in Iraq not long after coalition forces invaded the country. Zeyad and his family fled to Syria before settling in south-west Sydney, an experience that seems to have contributed to his character. Later, he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, an experience that sparked his interest in medicine. Still, Zeyad puts his 鈥榗onfidence鈥� down to something else.

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 say I鈥檓 confident, but if you鈥檇 spoken to me a year ago you would notice the difference,鈥� he concedes.

鈥淏ig Picture has definitely helped me a lot.鈥�

is an alternative learning stream that allows students to pursue their interests and passions through deep learning experiences. Designed and developed by Big Picture 糖心vlog官网 Australia, a not-for-profit committed to personalised, passion-based learning, the Academy has helped Zeyad not just zero in on his post-school pathway, but grow as an individual.

鈥淭he Big Picture students don鈥檛 spend their days in structured, mainstream classes,鈥� says Danielle Demetrios, the Academy鈥檚 Head Teacher at the school.

鈥淭here are mandatory components of the Big Picture design that students need to do and we hold them accountable for, but ultimately it鈥檚 up to the students to structure their day with our support and guidance.鈥�

For Zeyad, that support team includes Danielle as well as Jane Wilson who is his Advisory Teacher in the Big Picture Academy, and Gail Tucker, the school鈥檚 Careers Adviser. Together, Zeyad and his teachers have mapped out a pathway to nursing, and potentially medicine after that.

鈥淚 want to do registered nursing and after that try and work my way up, either to doing medicine or to becoming a specialist nurse, but we鈥檒l see where life takes me,鈥� says Zeyad.

For now, he鈥檚 flat out completing his Certificate III Health Services Assistance (Assisting in Nursing Work in Acute Care) with NSW Health Liverpool Hospital and building a portfolio through Big Picture that he鈥檒l use to support his university application at the end of the year. It鈥檚 a big workload 鈥� and one he says has his dad slightly concerned 鈥� but according to his teachers, Zeyad is managing well.

鈥淲ith Zeyad, because his Big Picture senior project aligns directly with his outlearning and Certificate III, he鈥檚 not overwhelmed trying to balance conflicting priorities as all areas of his learning are connected to his passion鈥� says Danielle.

So, how long has Zeyad been involved with the Big Picture Academy and how has it helped him?

鈥淚 started Big Picture in Year 9,鈥� says Zeyad.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very different to mainstream learning. It鈥檚 a lot of communication, a lot of speaking to people in the field you鈥檙e interested in. Then at the end of each term, we do what鈥檚 called an exhibition where we present what we鈥檝e been learning.鈥�

Chatting to Zeyad, it鈥檚 clear that the emphasis on communication has rubbed off. He鈥檚 articulate, engaging and poised. He also says he鈥檚 a lot more organised these days.

鈥淏efore I started Big Picture, my time management was terrible, but with the help of my advisers, and through growing up, I鈥檝e been able to manage the different things I鈥檓 doing a lot better,鈥� he says.

It鈥檚 pretty clear that Zeyad is doing a bit better than merely managing his commitments. He鈥檚 thriving. Recently, Zeyad was crowned the 2021 VET in Schools Student of the Year for Southern and South Western Sydney. Listening to him describe the process, it sounds like entering the awards was tougher than doing the work that led to his nomination.

鈥淎t first, I didn鈥檛 think it was going to be a big thing, but after seeing what was involved in entering鈥�,鈥� says Zeyad, laughing.

鈥淲e spent a lot of time getting it done and refining it, but in the end the panel said I knocked it out of the park.鈥�

It鈥檚 not hard to imagine Zeyad nailing the interview, nor is it difficult to see him succeeding in his chosen career. Thanks to the Big Picture Academy鈥檚 innovative approach to learning, and the support of his teachers at Liverpool Boys, Zeyad is all set for success.