Karratha Senior High School twins bound for medicine after winning prestigious awards

Two Karratha twins are on their way to studying medicine after being recognised for their academic achievements at the recent Karratha Senior High School graduation ceremony. Shining above the rest in a range of subjects, Akshita received the Australian Defence Force Future Innovator’s Award while Aadhikar received the Curtin Principal Recommendation Award. The ADF Future Innovator’s Award recognises unique contributions to the fields of science and mathematics to encourage the next generation of innovators to pursue careers in STEM. The Curtin Principal Recommendation Award is a merit-based monetary award developed by Curtin University to encourage academically excelling students to pursue further undergraduate studies. “I feel really honoured and grateful for receiving these prestigious awards and just thank my family, friends, staff and teachers for supporting me with this journey,” Akshita said. The pair are now excited to pursue careers in medicine inspired by not only their family but also seeing first-hand the barriers to healthcare in rural towns. Aadhikar said living in Karratha had taught them about the limitations to accessing healthcare in the region as well as the shortage of doctors contributing to growing disparities. “The number of doctors here is very limited compared to metropolitan cities,” he said. “Personally, I had to wait six months just for a dentist to come up here — my family worries if we get sick then we’d have to fly down all the way to Perth just to access basic services.” They hope to eventually return to Karratha and other rural towns to contribute to improving the community’s health and well-being. “Coming back to the rural community, giving back and also addressing this rural shortage is going to be very important for me.” Akshita wants to study cardiology while Aadhikar wants to pursue neuro medicine. They hope their story serves as an inspiration to other Karratha students that despite the limited resources, it was possible to dream big. The recognition comes after Karratha Senior High School cracked The West Australian’s ranking of the State’s top 50 schools recently, with a ranking of 46. KSHS principal Mario Tufilli said the achievement was thanks to the hardworking staff and students at the school. “Karratha SHS being included in the top 50 WA Schools can be credited to dedicated staff creating supportive environments and delivering high-quality learning to students, the hard work and commitment of the students, and the ongoing individual student supports and encouragement from school staff, working with parents and carers,” he said. “We strive to shape futures, by developing the potential of every student and empowering them to make positive choices in their lives, as contributing citizens.”