Meet Young Person Of The Year

At just 17, Nicole Cervoni is making a remarkable impact on her community. Growing up in the small rural town of Millaroo, she has been actively involved from a young age, organising raffles and cent sales before joining the Youth Council, where she has served for the past year.

“I've only been at the Council for a year, but every time Tammy asked for volunteers, I said, ‘Yep, I'll do it,’ and I really enjoyed it,” Nicole shared. “It's an incredible experience for any young person.”

Her dedication was recognised when she was named Young Person of the Year at the 2025 Australia Day Awards, a moment that left her and her family in shock.

“I jumped up and down, I got a letter in the mail, and I was crying. I rang my grandma, and she was at a bus stop in Brisbane with my cousin, and she started screaming in the middle of Brisbane,” Nicole recalled. “This award is, I think, a reflection of all the people who helped me get to this point, more than it is of me, because I couldn't have done anything I did without my family’s support.”

Nicole credits her parents and the hardworking Millaroo community for inspiring her.

“I would not have done half the things I did without seeing my parents leading by example and without them allowing me to,” she said. “Half the volunteering I do is here in Ayr, which meant that my mum would have to drive me in and out of town about three times a week, which was very difficult on her.”

Despite the effort, Nicole finds joy in giving back.

“When I work at the library and I'm just talking with other people and we're having a conversation, it makes me happy to know that I've made a difference in someone else's day, that I've made something easier for them,” she said.

“I guess just knowing that I'm following in the footsteps of so many great people, like the people at Millaroo and a lot of my teachers at Burdekin Catholic High School (BCH).”

Nicole also expressed gratitude to Antonetta Dalle Cort, a careers teacher at BCH who helped her land her library job, and Elisa Regano, a drama teacher who dedicated her own time and money to putting on musicals for children.

Looking to the future, Nicole has been accepted to JCU to study Education, where she hopes to continue to make a difference to people's lives.

“I want to be a primary school teacher, and then a principal and hopefully get higher up into the Department of Education.

Nicole encourages all young people to get more involved in the community.

“What's the harm in giving something a go, giving back to the community, you never know what will happen, I didn't expect this award from what I did," she shared.

“I think just seeing inspirational people from such a young age made me want to help and follow in their footsteps.

“All these people giving back to the community and doing so much, but who was doing stuff for them?  and I wanted to be that person."

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Young Person of the Year Nicole Cervoni. Photo credit: Mark T. Rasmussen

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