When Ingleburn High School principal, Catherine Argyle, talks about her two boy school captains, tears trickle down her face.

Tears of affection and pride.

“There’s just been such an amazing growth journey with these two boys. I’m just so proud to have witnessed their development,” Ms Argyle said.

“And to see their impact on other students is wonderful.”

Mitchell Elphick and Souljah Fatu are not your typical student leaders.

They both run cultural awareness programs at the school - Mitchell is from Wiradjuri Country and Souljah is of Samoan background.

Their programs provide pastoral care, cultural awareness learning and educational support for students from Aboriginal and Pasifika backgrounds.

Through a strong connection to community groups, they also provide professional development opportunities for school staff.

Souljah said his involvement meant the world to him.

“Coming from my background with a lot of cultural traditions, being able to share that with the Pasifika students here is great, because a lot of them don’t grow up with that,” he said.

“They’re eager to know what their roots are and I’m able to help them get there, like a role model to help them create a path and learn and grow and then teach others.”

Mitchell said it’s all about getting the students involved and learning to be proud of themselves and each other.

“A lot of people don’t know much about their background so it’s hard for them to be proud of it,” he said.

“Once they learn about it, they want to be who they are meant to be.”

The success of the programs is illustrated by the remarkable improvement in the attendance rates of Pasifika students at Ingleburn.

In 2022, prior to engagement in the program, the attendance rate of Year 12 Pasifika students was 59.4 per cent. In 2023, once they had engaged in the program, it was 85.6 per cent.

Scott Belgre, the Deputy Principal responsible for the programs, said this year it was an incredible 98.8 per cent.

“This is an outstanding example of the impact this program is having here and there are so many more,” he said.

So rewarding has the experience been for Mitchell and Souljah, both are returning to Ingleburn High next year to work as School Learning Support Officers.

“It’s just a great opportunity for me to keep reaching out and pass on the legacy,” Souljah said.

“The impact we’ve created is huge. It started out small and now all the Pasifika students want to be involved. It’s amazing.”

Mitchell said he was grateful to Ingleburn High School and wanted to give something back.

“The knowledge and the opportunities the school has given me, I want to keep taking that and passing that on – to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal kids and staff alike,” he said.