Marian dux begins actuarial studies and strives to make the finance world better for women

When you’re deciding between university offers to do either medicine or actuarial studies, you know you’ve done pretty well at school.

Marian Catholic College dux for 2024 Dahlia Abbas has opted for the latter and this week heads off to Macquarie University in Sydney to begin the next chapter in her life.

A practising Muslim from a Pakistani family, Ms Abbas is proud of an achievement that showcases the strength of Griffith’s multicultural community.

She scored an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) of 97.1, with A grades in Advanced Maths, Business Studies, Studies of Religion and Advanced English.

But her talents extend well beyond the classroom and her desire to one day become a CEO is mixed with a passion for social issues, including improving the status of women in the male-dominated financial world.

We caught up with the 2024 school captain to take a look at the secret of her success, her memories of school, role models and plans.

Name: Dahlia Abbas.

Schools: St Patricks and Marian Catholic College.

Reason for your success – hard work or natural ability? Definitely hard work. Natural aptitude can only get you so far. I put in about five hours a day after school – that’s where it comes from.

Best memory of school: Year 12. All the events and responsibilities, going away for school trips and being the school captain; I got to go away a lot for leadership camps.

Naughtiest thing you ever did at school: I never did anything naughty.

Teachers that inspired you: Mrs Seagrave – she was helpful when I was picking what I wanted to do at university and very supportive during my exams. All the teachers at Marian Catholic College are amazing; they answer all your questions and even help you after hours.

One thing you’d change about the education system: I’d like to see more exam practice from Year 9 to Year 12. It’s kind of thrown on you at the end of Year 11 and you don’t know how to deal with it. I’d like to integrate those exam settings in the early years of high school.

Role models: My parents supported me a lot, as did Mrs Seagrave.

Famous person you most admire and why: Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani woman who won the Nobel Peace Prize at age 17 after fighting the Taliban banning girls from schools.

Plans for 2025: I’m starting a Bachelor of Applied Finance and Actuarial Studies in Macquarie University. In terms of business and career growth, I thought that was the best option.

What will you miss most about Griffith: The community. Knowing everyone and having everyone know you.

What won’t you miss about Griffith: The limited resources.

Social issue you most care about: Feminism. The finance industry is not very friendly towards women; it’s male dominated; I’d love to make some changes there. I’m also concerned about media bias, particularly the way Palestinians are portrayed in newspapers and on TV.

Special skills: I play futsal and I also play the piano and the violin. I speak Urdu [native language of Pakistan] and I can understand Hindi [Indian language].

Dream career job: Something to do with management, a CEO or CFO. I’m interested in the field of finance, but I’d like to integrate leadership into that.