9 December 2021

Three brothers at Catholic Regional College, Sydenham, are celebrating a special graduation together.

The triplets, Kon, Riak and Mom Daw, were profiled this week in The Age as they marked the end of their secondary school journey, completing the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL). An alternative to the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), VCAL provides work-related skills, vocational training and work placements for students in Years 11 and 12.

Despite the challenges of a year that included periods of remote learning, as well as the challenges of a large family, the college provided each of them with a laptop to support their learning during the lockdowns. Originally from South Sudan, Kon, Riak and Mom featured in a story by The Age on their first day at Resurrection School, Kings Park, in 2009. The boys are currently planning their futures beyond school, including study at TAFE.

They will receive their results, along with thousands of VCE and VCAL students around Victoria, on Thursday 16 December.

Parts of this story have been adapted from an article that was originally published in The Age on Tuesday 7 December 2021.