Student Spotlight WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MAN FOR OTHERS
Class of 2021 and Head of Year student, Lucas Siciliano (12.7), set the example of being a Man for Others during his years at Trinity through his selfless and extensive commitment to ensuring the wellbeing of others. In 2021, Lucas highlighted the importance of mental health in young men through many initiatives and probably left his greatest legacy when he enticed several of his Class of 2021 peers and teachers to participate in the World’s Greatest Shave to raise important and muchneeded funds for blood cancer research. For Lucas, becoming a Man for Others is not achieved alone, it comes from a multitude of other influences in one’s life. “Ironically, my main influences for being a ‘Man’ for Others were women! Firstly, my mother, who is so incredibly giving and never expects anything in return. She always models compassion and kindness, no matter what, and I am so incredibly lucky to have her. I’ve also been lucky enough to have amazing teachers at Trinity like Mrs Rosa West. Rosa brings a lot of good to one’s life. She is always there and cares so deeply about every single student, treating them like her own son. Trinity is so lucky to have teachers like Rosa,
who constantly go above and beyond to help us all become a Man for Others.” When asked why it was important for him to get involved in events and initiatives to promote the wellbeing of others and highlight the importance of mental health in young men, Lucas said, “I think men’s mental health is overlooked in our society. What I have learnt over the past year is that if you strive to be a man for others and try to model qualities such as compassion, humility and respect, your wellbeing can improve tremendously.” “Giving to others is very rewarding, but can also be very draining, so it’s important that young men feel comfortable talking about their feelings and mental health. The prefects also felt strongly about this, so we worked on Men’s Mental Health Week to help educate the younger TC boys about wellbeing and the rise in poor mental health in men.” In 2021, Lucas was instrumental in coordinating the World’s Greatest Shave that raised almost $27,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation. Lucas was no doubt passionate about getting this campaign up and running after being intrigued with by the idea of shaving his own head for a good cause after his friend Taylor Hannah (12.8) did it back in Year 7. Lucas said, “throughout my time at TC, it was always in the back of my head as something I wanted to do in Year 12. I knew a lot of other boys were also very keen so I made the push to do it from very first prefect meeting at the end of
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SUMMER 2021/22 – TRINITY NEWS
2020. We set a goal of $20,000 but my competitive side took over and I really wanted to smash that fundraising goal! Recruiting teachers to get involved too was easier than expected, although some teachers like Mr Mitchell and Mr Kros required some additional peer pressure. Within a week we had several teachers and 15 students who had put their hands up. The support was incredible.” As for making the World’s Greatest Shave an annual Year 12 tradition, Lucas really hopes that the Class of 2022 and beyond get involved. “Not only are you raising money for the Leukaemia Foundation, but also stepping outside your comfort zone and doing something extremely scary, but will leave you with a feeling of accomplishment and joy. According to the BBC, there’s mounting evidence that bare heads aren’t a spectacular evolutionary accident after all. Bald men are seen as more intelligent, dominant and of a higher status! Therefore, if you want to ace your WACE exams, or strike fear into the hearts of Aquinas kids on the football field, shaving your head is 100% the way to go. In all seriousness though, I would love to see the World’s Greatest Shave continue as a Year 12 tradition for years to come.”
