She describes the amazing array of foods that are brought out at lunch time and all without having to travel to different parts of the world to get it.

Her speech lead with a memory of a time in the playground when a friend asked her to bring some tandoori chicken in, and Sammy requested some tasty pie.

“I just think it is fantastic that people from different cultures are here and able to provide others with a glimpse of their culture,” Sammy explained.

She spoke of her classmates all wearing the same uniform but not looking the same because of their different skin, eye and hair colour.

She wrote: ‘we experience the same thrills, feel the same pain and most of all desire to be loved and accepted for who we are.’

Acting principal at the school Joy Vickers said the entire audience was captivated by her speech and erupted with the announcement of her as State Champion.

The success in the competition is particularly exciting for her parents considering when she arrived in Australia six years ago she spoke very little English.

She now speaks English, Malayalam and Hindi.

Her parents have always encouraged her to do her best, but Sammy never feels pressure and just does the things she enjoys.

“Dad told me to just have fun with it and that there was no pressure because I had already achieved so much,” Sammy said.

“We are just so proud and grateful that she has the opportunity to represent the town and want her to have as many experiences as possible,” her father added.

Sammy was also required to perform a one minute impromptu speech on the topic older and wiser. With five minutes preparation time, the impromptu section makes up half of the overall score.

Last year Sammy made it to zone level in the competition and next year she hopes to achieve a similar result to her State win.

The competition aims to heighten the awareness of multicultural issues among primary school students in New South Wales while developing their interest and skills in public speaking.

Sammy was up against public schools from across the State where 82 local finals and eight regional finals were held.

In the same week as reaching this achievement, Sammy has also been accepted into Rutherford Public School’s Opportunity Class.

This is a year five and six class that invites applications from across the district with applicants assessed and offered placement by the Department of Education’s Selective Schools Unit.

Mrs Vickers added that Sammy will be missed, but that she should feel very proud about her representation of the school.

“We are very pleased for her future,” she said.