Sumaia Elkadomi

Student Wellbeing and Management Coordinator, Australian International Academy Kellyville

According to Lubna Sayed, Principal of Australian International Academy Kellyville (AIA), Sumaia Elkadomi wears many hats. First and foremost, Sumaia is a teacher. She also helps develop future leaders through her coordination of the school’s Student Representative Council, and provides immeasurable support to all Secondary students and staff as the Student Wellbeing and Management Coordinator. 

Lubna believes it is Sumaia’s empathy, understanding, and deep knowledge of all the students as individuals within a community of learners that makes her such an effective connector across all faculties and year groups at AIA. She works capably beside learners of all ages, provides advice and guidance to teachers through engaging professional dialogues, and works especially closely with the female students at AIA through their Sisterhood workshops as they navigate their world in and out of the classroom.

Sumaia wants to empower her learners with a sense of belief in their own capacities to find the path to what is success is for them. A personal formative learning experience came when, as a Year 10 student, she had the opportunity to work alongside a newly migrated classmate. The privilege she felt in being able to work with this student as they adjusted to life in a new country and school, allowed Sumaia to see the transformative power of education and the capacity teachers must make a difference in the lives of every student. Sumaia has seen again and again how the power having someone believe in them can transform the attitude of students towards their learning, and to themselves, especially through values-based education in a community such as the one at AIA.

Sumaia believes that an effective teacher is a reflective teacher, and she encourages beginning teachers to adopt this practice from the beginning of their career. She continuously models this adaptive, reflective learning approach to her students and peers. Her hope is that her students will enter the world ready to take on the challenge of being active, engaged members of society and advocates for social justice. Seeing this potential in her students, Sumaia works diligently with each individual learner to help them realise their personal goals and aspirations, but also look for ways to be aware, involved, and engaged with the world around them.