Three ECU students were among the final nominees across 10 award categories, with two claiming top honours. Image credit: Tashi Hall
Two Edith Cowan University (ECU) students claimed prestigious awards for their outstanding contributions to Western Australian communities at the 2026 Youth Affairs Council of WA (YACWA) Youth Awards on Friday, 11 September.
Three ECU students were among the final nominees across 10 award categories, withtwo claiming top honours: Bachelor of Science (Occupational Therapy) (Honours) student Elissa Oakey (Carers WA Milestone Award), and Bachelor of Education (Primary) student Hannah Iemma (MercyCare Lived Experience Award).
ECU Bachelor of Science (Paramedicine) student Alessia Maio was nominated for the ECU Action Award – an honour presented by the university as part of its 18-year sponsorship of the WA Youth Awards.
The ECU Action Award celebrates young people driving change and inspiring others in areas such as technology, arts, science and innovation, and was claimed by Alexander Hart at the gala event.
The evening was highlighted by entertainment from indie pop group "Hey So Hungry" – a band featuring ECU graduate Harry Burge and current students Mahaan Gandhi and Maisie Jamieson.
ECU students shine on WA Youth Awards honour roll
For ECU student Elissa Oakey, winning the Carers WA Milestone Award was a "very special" yet "deeply bittersweet" achievement.
Oakey was nominated for the award not only for her incredible commitment to advocacy and inclusion for young carers, but for administering care through her late mother's terminal cancer diagnosis.
Oakey's mother sadly passed away less than 24 hours before the awards ceremony took place.
While caring for her mother and managing her own chronic illness, Oakey wrote a self-published children's book on early scoliosis detection, and trained her assistance dog, Evie, to become the state's first scent-trained Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) alert dog.
Elissa Oakey won the Carers WA Milestone Award at the 2026 WA Youth Awards. Image credit: YACWA
She went on to become an initial director of BioPaws Detection, a charitable organisation proving through state-of-the-art research how canine scent can be used as a valuable medical diagnostic tool.
"Being nominated for the YACWA Youth Awards was a real honour, and winning the Carers WA Milestone Award means a lot to me," Oakey said.
"My caring journey has shaped the last few years of my life, along with my studies, so having it recognised in this way feels very special.
"It was also a deeply bittersweet moment, as I received the award less than 24 hours after my mum lost her battle with cancer. Caring for her through her terminal diagnosis was one of the hardest things I've ever done, yet one of the easiest... because when you love someone, you just do it.
"It was a privilege to make the last few years of her life as fun, meaningful, and full of joy as possible, even in the hardest moments.
"Balancing that with full‑time study wasn't easy, and I've had a lot of people ask me how I managed to do it all. The truth is that my mum always encouraged me to keep pursuing what I loved, and she was so proud of everything I was working toward. I kept reminding myself that if she could face treatment and everything that came with it, then I could keep going too.
"Everything I've achieved has been because of her strength, her humour, and the courage she showed in the quiet moments no one else saw.
"I would have loved to have attended the awards gala in person, but unfortunately I wasn't able to. Even so, it feels surreal to be recognised, and I know my mum would have been so proud."
Oakey was joined on the 2026 YACWA Youth Awards honour roll by fellow ECU student Hannah Iemma, who claimed the MercyCare Lived Experience Award.
As a neurodivergent woman with multiple sclerosis (MS), Iemma has raised thousands of dollars for MS research while acting as a champion for young people with disabilities and neurodivergence.
Iemma is a tutor, a special needs education assistant and coordinates an inclusive coding program called ECU CoderDojo at ECU South West.
Her work creates positive community change and improves the lives of young people with disabilities and neurodivergence.
Iemma was overcome by a wave of emotion in the moment her name was called out at the Youth Awards gala.
"It honestly hit me really deeply," Iemma said.
"Living with MS and being neurodivergent has shaped so much of my life, and there have been moments where I've felt invisible or misunderstood. So standing there, being recognised for something that comes from my lived experience, felt really powerful."
Hannah Iemma won the MercyCare Lived Experience Award at the 2026 WA Youth Awards. Image credit: Miles Noel Studio.
She said that her passion stems from knowing what it feels like to be a young person trying to make sense of a world that doesn't always make space for you.
"I know how life-changing it is when someone believes in you. When someone sees your strengths. When someone gives you room to be yourself. That's what drives me.
"I want young people with disability and neurodivergence to feel supported, understood, and celebrated. I want them to feel like they belong. I want them to know they don't have to shrink themselves to fit in."
Iemma says representing ECU alongside Oakey on the YACWA Youth Awards winners list was a significant point of pride.
"Being recognised as someone connected to the university made me feel proud," Iemma said.
"Standing there as someone who studies at ECU, and seeing another ECU affiliated person also being recognised, made the moment feel shared. It reminded me that the communities I'm part of have shaped me, and that the work I do in education and advocacy doesn't exist in isolation.
"It felt like a moment where everything connected: my studies, my lived experience, my advocacy, and the young people I work with."
