Radford Collegian Sarah Nizar (Class of 2024) champions literacy as Australia’s 2026 Youth Literacy Ambassador

Despite once being an avid fiction reader, she admits that her love of books was sidelined when she entered high school and academic demands took over.

“I felt like my time got limited and I wasn’t able to read in my free time,” she said.

“In high school, I was reading course textbooks. I felt so bad as soon as I got there, there was just so much to study.”

Now a pre-med student at the University of Wollongong, Sarah is turning that experience into action. She has been named Australia’s 2026 Youth Literacy Ambassador with the World Literacy Foundation; a role she hopes will inspire more young Australians to reconnect with reading.

“I just liked the idea of giving back,” she said.

“For children to be able to do what they like, literacy is such an important element of that. Everything these days is communication and being able to read. If a child – or anyone – isn’t exposed to that skill, then they may struggle in the future.”

Sarah will spend the next three months working alongside fellow ambassadors across the country to promote literacy within their communities. Her work will include leading local initiatives, speaking at events, raising awareness, and organising fundraising efforts to support literacy programs.

Her appointment comes at a critical time.

A 2024 Grattan Institute report revealed that reading performance among Australian students has remained largely stagnant over the past decade. According to 2023 NAPLAN results, around one in three students are not meeting expected reading levels, a troubling figure the report describes as creating too many “instructional casualties”.

For Sarah, those statistics reinforce the importance of early intervention.

“When I was younger, I really struggled with my comprehension,” she said. “I wanted to change that and improve and reading more was a big part of that.”

She believes access to books and support in the early years are essential to building strong literacy skills.

“It all ties back to literacy having a big impact on children’s lives and their futures,” she said.

“That’s something that stays with them. You can always grow those skills, but it’s much easier if you get the right support early on.”

Sarah’s passion for helping young people is long-standing. As a teenager, she volunteered as a tutor, supporting children with literacy and numeracy, and also worked as a basketball coach. Since relocating to Wollongong for university, she has continued volunteering, visiting hospitals to help families while their children are unwell.

These experiences, she says, have been deeply rewarding.

“You get to see kids grow and gain confidence,” she said. “I think every child has potential.”

While she acknowledges the challenge of balancing her new ambassadorial role with the demands of a pre-med degree, Sarah is determined to make it work.

“I am really busy, but I thought if I have a bit of spare time, I can try to make a difference in the world,” she said.

Sarah follows in the footsteps of fellow Radford Collegian, Harini Babu, Class of 2023 who was appointed Youth Literacy Ambassador in 2024 continuing a strong local legacy of youth leadership in literacy advocacy.