VCE Leader, Tasmiya Haque finds confidence in her voice as Top Scribe writer
VCE Leader Tasmiya Haque has gained recognition yet again. This time, for her selected work in Top Scribe.
Part of the VCAA’s Season of Excellence, Top Scribe celebrates original works by VCE Literature students across Victoria. Selected works are published in an annual collection (called an anthology) that features a variety of forms, including fiction, poetry, and hybrid pieces.
Tasmiya was one of 25 VCE Literature students selected to be featured in the Top Scribe 2026 Anthology. Her insightful creative response to Elizabeth Tan’s Smart Ovens for Lonely People stood out as a thought-provoking piece. Titled ‘Good Girl Protocol’, Tasmiya’s writing explores the censure of identity and struggle for control in a hyper-capitalist, technologised age.
Tasmiya is no stranger to putting herself out there, choosing to take opportunities rather than regretting not taking them. In 2025, her outstanding leadership efforts in her school and community were also recognised through the VCE Leadership Awards. Tasmiya was announced as one of VCE Leaders for her advocacy around prioritising mental health.
While serving as School Captain at Mount Waverley Secondary College, Tasmiya coordinated school-wide wellbeing campaigns and fostered an open, supportive atmosphere around mental health – importantly, she helped normalise conversations around mental health and seeking support.
Tasmiya shares her experience of the 2025 VCE Leadership Awards and selection for Top Scribe 2026.
How does it feel to go from being recognised as a VCE Leader in 2025 to now being selected for Top Scribe in 2026?
Honestly, it still feels surreal. I’m ecstatic and incredibly grateful; having my work recognised by VCAA not just once but twice has reinforced my value of exploring new ideas and putting myself out there, even when I doubt myself. It’s also given me a stronger sense of confidence in my voice and creative choices; from being recognised as a leader to a writer, this shared sense of purpose means a lot to me - I don’t think I would have come this far without the constant encouragement of my parents, teachers and peers, who inspired me to keep going, challenge myself, and take creative risks even when I was unsure.
Do you see any connections between your school/community leadership work and writing your piece for VCE Literature?
Absolutely! Much of my leadership was centred on community welfare and advocating for accessible healthcare/education, values which were informed by our critical exploration of systemic power and inequality in Literature. Good Girl Protocol similarly confronts society's fear of change, of losing control, and its impulse to purge perceived threats to anthropocentric--and if you squint, patriarchal--dogma. Molly’s transformation, her fractured relationships, and her eventual tragedy are all symbolic of our broader loss of self, authentic connection, and collective humanity in a world increasingly scaffolded by technological control and fear-driven rhetoric. In this way, both my leadership and my writing center the importance of preserving community, empathy, and identity even against systems that fail us.
Looking at both last year’s VCE Leadership Awards and this year’s Top Scribe selection, what part of these experiences are you most proud of?
By far, I am most proud of myself and ALL of my fellow peers who celebrated their achievements beside me. In both events, my favourite part was definitely meeting the other students who strived to embody their values and communicate their vision to the world, to hear their perspectives, journeys, and future plans, to feel that collective joy in recognition and unified hope for change. I'm so proud of us - it is an honour to stand alongside such passionate leaders & creatives and I'm excited to see where we all go next.
Order the Top Scribe 2026 Anthology online.