We could not be prouder of current Year 12 student Thomas Maguire-Nguyen, who has been named and awarded the Overall VCE Leader of the Year by the Parliamentary Secretary for Education, Nina Taylor. His parents and teacher were right there next to him today, cheering him on.
Thomas is the Founder and Director of Per Vocem Vita – Latin for Life Through Speech – an organisation he established in Year 9 (2022) to provide free public speaking and debating programs to primary school students. What began with just 10 volunteers has grown to more than 120 by 2025, reaching hundreds of young learners across multiple schools.
Each December, once secondary schools finish for the year, Thomas and his team of student volunteers head into local primary schools to run incursions focusing on key skills such as Manner, Speechwriting, and Rebuttal. Thomas personally helped design much of the curriculum and continues to lead fundraising, school partnerships, and volunteer recruitment.
Alongside his VCE studies, Thomas has steered Per Vocem Vita into its fourth consecutive year of growth and impact. His leadership has been widely recognised with accolades including:
“Thomas’s vision and commitment have created opportunities for countless young students to discover their voice and grow in confidence. His recognition as the Overall VCE Leader of the Year is a testament to his passion, innovation, and dedication to community.”
Thank you, Thomas, for showing us just how bright the future is in the hands of remarkable young people.
Credit: Photograph by Nicole Cleary, courtesy of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority.