Joaquin Carrasco-McDonald is the 2026 recipient of the Isidor Solomon Memorial Award for the Humanities, presented each year to the student who most exemplifies academic excellence, intellectual curiosity and a deep commitment to the values central to the Humanities.
For Joaquin, the recognition was a quiet affirmation of something he has been steadily developing over time: a love of careful, deliberate thinking.
“You don’t really set out chasing a prize,” he says, “you just get absorbed in the ideas.”
During his time at Melbourne Grammar School, Joaquin has embraced the intellectual challenges placed before him. In Humanities classrooms, he has found a space where complexity is explored rather than simplified.
“I like that we’re not told what to think,” he explains.
“We’re given the material, the context, the different interpretations, and then we have to work through it ourselves.”
That process, he admits, can be confronting.
“There are moments where you realise the argument you were quite confident about doesn’t actually stand up. But that’s the point. You learn to separate ego from reasoning.”
He credits his teachers with creating an environment where disagreement is thoughtful and purposeful.
“You get used to having your ideas questioned,” he reflects.
“At first that can feel personal. But over time you see it’s actually a sign of respect. People are taking your thinking seriously enough to test it.”
“It’s not about winning an argument,” he goes on. “It’s about sharpening it. You leave a discussion clearer than when you walked in.”
Beyond the classroom, those habits are shaping how he engages with the world.
“I think I have become more comfortable pausing and asking, ‘What am I missing here?’”
“I want to be a good citizen, and to be part of a community you have to be willing to listen,” Joaquin reflects. “You have to be willing to question your own assumptions.”
About the Isidor Solomon Memorial Award
The Isidor Solomon Memorial Award was established in 2014 by former Old Melburnians Council President, Foundation Board President and School Council member, Philip Solomon KC (OM 1986) and named for his father Isidor (OM 1946).
