Fairholme College student, Lena Nabizada awarded Zonta Toowoomba’s Young Women in Public Affairs scholarship 2024

With a laundry list of accolades and achievements to her name, this Toowoomba school student has an inspiring story on seizing the opportunity and her plans to change the world.

Lena Nabizada was awarded Zonta Toowoomba's Young Women in Public Affairs scholarship in 2024.

Lena Nabizada is a global ambassador, climate activist, entrepreneur, humanitarian, parliamentarian, councillor and board member, and she’s still in high school.

The list of advocacy groups and organisations Lena is involved in is inexhaustible. She has served as a Toowoomba Regional Council youth leader, been elected twice to represent her electorate in the Queensland Youth parliament, served on the council board of the US Embassy and Consulate, has worked with organisations like Toowoomba Youth Peace Group, Australian Youth Climate Coalition, Multicultural Youth Australia Network, and Australian Latin American Emerging Leaders Dialogue, is a Global Ambassador for education advocacy charity Theirworld, was selected as a youth advocate for Plan International Australia, and founded the inclusivity advocacy organisation, Strive Connection.

Lena said she does all this alongside studying Year 12 at Fairholme College in Toowoomba, playing volleyball and doing cross country.

Now, for all her work, Lena has been recognised with Zonta Toowoomba’s Young Women in Public Affairs scholarship.

Just two years ago, Lena’s elder sister, Mahsa Nabizada won the award.

Lena said a big part of the reason she does her work is because of her Islamic faith.

The Nabizada family emigrated from Afghanistan to Australia nine years ago, where Lena said she and her family found a welcoming community.

Lena said she is grateful to her parents for enabling the opportunities she has today.

“They had full lives in Afghanistan and they moved (to Australia) for their daughters,” Lena said.

Lena said she hopes her parents are proud of her, and she extended her gratitude to them for filling her life with culture and religion which helps her find purpose.

She said Islam is a big part of how her family spends time together, and she enjoys having the opportunity to talk with her family about spiritual and cultural matters, as she struggles to find counsel in her peers in those kinds of matters.

“I’m not around very many Afghan and Muslim women,” she said.

Lena’s work is a combination of what she loves – talking to and meeting new people – and what strives to do – give back as much as she can.

When Lena graduates from Fairholme at the end of the year, she hopes to go on to study international relations and cybersecurity.

However, she said her main focus is on her own advocacy group, Strive Connection.

She said Strive Connection is the manifestation of her own belief that diversity is “beautiful.”

“We’re taught a lot in our faith to be accepting, that diversity is beautiful,” Lena said.

“In my culture, in my religion and in my household, we see how beautiful it is that God made us all different for a reason.”