Two Westbourne College Sydney students, Siwa Haberlah (DP2 / Year 12) and Zara Lanzarone (Year 10), have been recognised with the ADF Long Tan Youth Leadership & Teamwork Awards for 2025.
These national awards are presented to selected Year 10 and Year 12 students across Australia. They recognise young people who demonstrate leadership and teamwork in their school and broader community, and who live the values of doing one’s best, respecting others and mateship – qualities at the heart of Westbourne College.
For Siwa and Zara, the Long Tan Youth Leadership & Teamwork Award is not just a personal honour. It reflects the kind of school community they are helping to build at Westbourne College Sydney, a selective IB senior school with a strong focus on STEM and Business education.
“Team spirit is at the heart of a successful society” – Siwa Haberlah (DP2)
As a DP2 student in the IB Diploma Programme, Siwa Haberlah has experienced firsthand how important it is for a cohort to pull together – especially during the final years of senior school.
For Siwa, receiving the ADF Long Tan Youth Leadership & Teamwork Award is meaningful because it recognises those shared efforts:
- “It’s great to see team spirit being recognised, as it is a key Australian value at the heart of our school, and more broadly a successful society. I am honoured to be recognised for contributing these values within my school and wider community.”
Teamwork for Siwa isn’t abstract; it’s something she has actively built, particularly in her final year. One clear example is the way she chose to celebrate and capture her cohort’s IB journey:
- “I demonstrated teamwork by initiating and leading the production of a school yearbook despite the pressures of imminent final exams to commemorate the shared experiences of our cohort over the past two years.”
Balancing exam preparation, internal assessments and university planning with a major creative project is no small feat. The yearbook required gathering photos, stories and memories from across the group, coordinating contributions and deadlines, and collaborating with staff to bring it all together.
Her Long Tan Award recognises exactly that kind of leadership: quiet, steady, community-focused and deeply collaborative.
“Guiding people to reach their best potential” – Zara (Year 10)
For Zara Lanzarone, a Year 10 student, the Long Tan Youth Leadership & Teamwork Award connects strongly with the values she cares about most: helping people grow and feel included.
- “Receiving this award is meaningful to me as it represents values I’m genuinely passionate about, particularly the idea of guiding people to reach their best potential. It’s incredibly uplifting listening and helping people to grow and achieve their goals.”
Zara sees leadership as something that happens alongside others rather than in front of them. At school, that means working deliberately to create an inclusive, collaborative environment:
- “An example of demonstrated leadership is that I enjoy encouraging inclusiveness and collaboration at school.”
She also brings that mindset into challenges outside the classroom. One of her favourite examples of teamwork and resilience came during a multi-day hike in Western Australia:
- “I also once inspired a small group to complete a multi-day hike in Western Australia!”
Finishing a multi-day hike is an achievement in itself. But inspiring others to keep going when they’re tired, uncertain or tempted to give up is a powerful example of the kind of leadership the ADF Long Tan Youth Leadership & Teamwork Award is designed to recognise: supporting others, not just pushing yourself.
Zara’s recognition reflects her belief that leadership is about uplifting the people around you, noticing who might need encouragement and helping them see what they are capable of.
Leadership, teamwork and the Westbourne culture
Both of their stories are different, but Siwa and Zara share a common thread: both understand leadership as something deeply relational and values-driven.
For Siwa, it means investing time and energy into a yearbook that celebrates the DP2 cohort and strengthens community spirit. For Zara, it means looking for opportunities to include others, encourage collaboration and support peers – whether in the classroom, or on a hiking trail.
Their words echo the core values behind the ADF Long Tan Youth Leadership & Teamwork Awards:
- doing one’s best
- respecting others
- mateship and team spirit
At Westbourne College Sydney, these values sit alongside our focus on IB academic rigour and STEM learning. In a small, close-knit senior school community, leadership and teamwork are part of how students learn, support one another and prepare for university and future careers.
The Long Tan Awards are a powerful external acknowledgement of what our students are building every day: a culture where achievement, character and community go hand in hand.
At Westbourne, we are incredibly proud of Siwa and Zara for their ADF Long Tan Youth Leadership & Teamwork Awards, and grateful for the way they contribute to the Westbourne community every day.
If you’d like to learn more about how Westbourne develops student leadership and teamwork within our IB and STEM programs, you can contact us or book a school tour today.