The Gordon honoured 19 students at the 2025 Gordon Awards for Excellence last week.
Held at Geelong Arts Centre, the awards ceremony recognised students who achieved a high standard of work and demonstrated exceptional dedication.
Advanced Diploma of Building Design (Architectural) student Alicia Martin won both the Student of the Year and the Design Excellence Award.
Ms Martin said her father, an architect and building designer for nearly six decades, had instilled in her “a strong appreciation for the built environment”.
“My fondest memories spent with him were sitting on his lap at his drawing board or visiting sites and holding a staff while he took measurements,” Alicia said.
“Building design gives me a creative outlet that has boundaries as I am required to work around strict regulations which require me to tap into my problem-solving skills. It has given me something I really love to focus on, giving me purpose and direction.”
Horticulturalist Simon Berry won the Apprentice of the Year award and the Natural Environment & Science Excellence Award.
Mr Berry said he had achieved his dream of securing ongoing employment at the Geelong Botanic Gardens.
“I am still amazed that I get paid to do something I absolutely love. I will be forever thankful to The Gordon,” Simon said.
The Gordon chief executive Joe Ormeno said to be named a finalist amongst the more than 11,500 students that studied at The Gordon in 2024 was “an outstanding achievement”.
“These students, apprentices, and trainees represent the best of The Gordon — a diverse, talented, and determined group of learners who set out to achieve something more,” Mr Ormeno said.
