We are extremely proud of our Class of 2021. This cohort of boys and girls were affected by two years of COVID disruptions and stresses yet, through their hard work, discipline and resilience, they all produced personal best results that they can all be incredibly proud of.
We were fortunate to catch up with a couple of them recently and gain some insight and advice for our continuing students…
CJ DIXON: ATAR 94.45, Bachelor of Education, Griffith University
Would your Year 6 teacher have predicted you to be here today? What type of student were you during Years 6,7 and 8..?
I believe Mrs Saunders, my Year 6 teacher, would have envisioned me enrolled in a biology degree of some sorts as I was extremely interested in the sciences. This isn’t entirely wrong as I aim to teach biology.
When did you start to see yourself as a “scholar”? Was there a point in time where you decided to challenge and particularly apply yourself?
Receiving my first academic honour award in Year 6 really helped me strive to always do my best in class in order to maintain this standard throughout high school in hopes of achieving summa cum laude.
What are your strengths as a scholar? Three things you did really well.
Organisational skills, strong work ethic and resilience.
As you begin your university education this year, what are some of the areas you still want to improve in?
I am working on finding more balance as Year 12 was dominated by work and study. I am focused on doing more of things I love like going to the beach, exploring nature and joining Uni social clubs with like-minded people.
What was your most memorable moment in your time here at Trinity?
The opportunity to be part of sporting or any physical activities from the classroom to competition.
What part of your schooling journey are you most proud of?
I am proud to have achieved an ATAR score far higher than I believed I could
DANIEL EINHORN: ATAR 97.7, Bachelor of Science – provisional entry, Doctor of Medicine postgrad degree, UQ
At what point did you decide upon your course of future study?
I actually flip-flopped between career paths because I was interested in so many, between Film, Law, English and finally Medicine. In Year 11 I was positive I didn’t want to pursue Medicine because I thought I wanted to something that would challenge me creatively like Film or English. Different to some other med students who had been set on that career path since birth, I actually only decided to start preparing for the UCAT (most common med aptitude test) at the beginning of Year 12 to ‘keep my options open’ – at least, that’s what I said to myself. But the more I learned about Medicine, the more I saw myself wanting to pursue a career in it. I have learnt that you don’t need to be sure of what you want to do straight away – if at all. Keep your options open, research interesting careers, attend some sample university lectures for courses you’re interested in, TAFE open days etc.
When did you start to see yourself as a “Scholar”? Was there a point in time where you decided to challenge yourself?
I don’t think I ever really saw myself as a scholar per se, but I was in a friend group where we tried to challenge each other and definitely for the last couple years I wanted to do my best, which I’m glad I did. Something that I found extremely valuable in Year 12 was using my assignments and knowledge from Year 11 to build on – if you put effort into Year 11, Year 12 will be so much easier and more rewarding.
As you begin your University education this year, what are some of the areas you still want to improve in?
Something that I still need to work on going into University is balancing all aspects of life – social, academic, cultural, spiritual etc. I think as a young person this is one of the great challenges of life, because you have so many pressures pushing you in different directions, so many forces telling you to ‘work harder’, ‘make more/better friends’, ‘be more organised’ and so on. These different messages can be difficult to reconcile, and that’s something I want to work on in the future – being satisfied with where I am but also looking to improve as much as I can in as many areas as I can.
Random tip: Actually, properly, definitely choose the subjects you want to do, the subjects you are interested in (and which are prerequisites for the course you want to do of course). Do not choose subjects based on how you think they will scale, because this is a recipe for misery and low grades! I know teachers said this when I was choosing subjects but I thought, ‘Oh, they’re just saying that’, but I promise they’re not!
FLETCHER DAY: ATAR 96.55, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), Griffith University
When did you start to see yourself as a “Scholar”? Was there a point in time where you decided to challenge yourself?
I knew I was strong academically, but I feel like most of my results came from the effort I put in during my schooling. I have always challenged myself to achieve my best, but by also participating in extra-curricular academic events like debating and uni-courses during school holidays, I have been able to continue to strive for success.
What are your strengths as a scholar? Three things you did really well.
My organisation, dedication, and commitment. I always work to complete class work and assignments well before the due date, so I have time in case something goes wrong, I work to complete all set work, particularly in maths and science classes, since I know these will benefit my understanding, and I never give up, because everything is manageable with the right mindset.
As you begin your university education this year, what are some of the areas you still want to improve in?
Starting university, I want to focus on having more time for non-academic activities, such as community sport or discovering a new hobby. Through my senior years, I got so caught up in the importance of academics, I didn’t take enough time to relax and enjoy myself.
SHAYLI HARRIS: ATAR 98.3, Batchelor of Actuarial Science, Bond University
At what point in your schooling life did you start to see yourself as a “Scholar”? Was there a point in time where you decided to challenge yourself?
There was not really a definitive point in which I started seeing myself as a scholar as I always highly valued learning and my goals were always set high in the academic field. It may have been year 7 or year 8 when I finally realised if I was to put in as much effort as I could and further challenge myself I would be able to achieve highly and work towards my future goals.
What were some of the challenges you faced during your schooling, how did you approach them?
The biggest challenge that I faced was having a good work-life balance. As a student I was not only juggling school and extra-curriculars, but also a social life and a part-time job. I found that the greatest weapon was having a good support system of family and friends. Not just having people I can talk to about my stress and anxiety to, but having people around who could help me if I needed it. Without them I wouldn’t have persevered and been as successful as I was in school.
Outside of the classroom, what extra-curricular activities did you engage in, how have they influenced you today?
I was involved in many different extra-curricular activities in and outside of school. I had the opportunity to be involved in many different events throughout Year 12 through the leadership team, involving myself in organising and helping out at different fundraisers, house events, tutoring, and even the discos. Outside of school I was involved with many different Bond University run events such as the Maths extension program and the vice chancellor’s elite scholarship program and weekend. I also enjoyed being a part of the APS teams and growing strong connections and skills through these many activities.
At what point did you decide upon your course of future study?
My interest for the actuarial science course was first sparked when I began the accounting and maths courses in Years 9 and 10 and realised that I had a strong passion for maths, numbers and all thing accounting/business based. A friend later mentioned the actuarial science course and it all fell into place. I started Year 11 Accounting and Mr Butlin taught me everything he could to drive my learning and my interest grew. He is one of the reasons I chose this field as he gave all his time to help us develop our skills.
Briefly explain the process you went through in deciding upon your university courses? What were your major considerations and where did you get your information from? (eg. did you first look at the course or the university? Did the course / university have a good reputation? Job prospects, mode of study, location.)
For me personally, it was a pretty simple decision as I had previous connections at Bond University and further to this, Bond is the only University in Queensland to offer the Actuarial Science program. I do not have to move away from home or change jobs, all I have is a 25 minute drive a few days a week. Bond also offers super flexible classes and learning, the class sizes are small and they have an extremely good reputation which were all great benefits for me.
WILLS MARKHAM: ATAR 94.05, Bachelor of Commerce/ Bachelor of Business, Bond University
Would your Year 6 teacher have predicted you to be here today? What type of student were you during Years 6,7 and 8?
In Year 6, I think that my teachers believed that I had the potential to do very well at school. It wasn’t until towards the end of Middle School that I began to really develop a good work ethic and take my studies seriously. This change was thanks to my Middle School teachers pushing me and encouraging me to do the best I could.
What were some of the challenges you faced during your schooling, how did you approach them?
Editing and proofreading my work. This impacted nearly all my subjects as I would continuously make similar errors in all my essay responses. I approached this issue by submitting full drafts giving myself plenty of time to re-read and improve my work.
Outside of the classroom, what extra-curricular activities did you engage in, how have they influenced you today?
I competed in many competitive sports during my time at Trinity. The main sports I played were water polo, volleyball and basketball. The lifelong friendships I made from these teams is probably one of the things I am most grateful for during my schooling journey. I built strong friendships and was also able to develop discipline and respect. I also learnt many leadership qualities through being the Captain of the Open Water Polo and Volleyball teams in my final year of school. I strongly recommend that all students get involved in the Trinity sporting program as it a great and enjoyable way to learn and meet new friends.
If you could go back and talk to yourself as a younger student, what advice would you offer them?
Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Just enjoy your learning and the moments you have with your friends and teachers, because before you know it your journey at Trinity will be over.
What was your most memorable moment in your time here at Trinity?
My most memorable moments at Trinity would have to be Friday afternoon APS games. Competing and having fun with my friends every Friday will definitely be something I will greatly miss at Trinity.
What are you most proud of in your schooling so far?
My consistency in balancing my extra-curricular activities, social life, work and my academic studies. Maintaining this balance is essential in not only achieving great results but ensuring you can look after yourself and just have fun being a teenager.
ETIENNE RICHERT: ATAR 97.6, Bachelor of International Security Studies/ Bachelor of Politics Philosophy and Economics, Australian National University
What are your strengths as a scholar? Three things you did really well.
I think one of my biggest strengths as a student was that I always did what interested me. I picked my subjects solely based on what I wanted to do and it always showed in my results.I was able to stay calm reasonably often and I’m glad that I still managed to pursue my hobbies outside of school. I think that’s really important.
As you begin your university education this year, what is an area you still want to improve in?
Definitely organisation. No matter how hard I tried, I always procrastinated and then had to work more in the last week than I would have, had I been more organised. Probably also to remember to do what I want. As important as commitment is, you should never feel pressured to study anything other than what you choose to do.
What were some of the challenges you faced during your schooling, how did you approach them?
Probably lack of motivation. About halfway through Year 12, I was just ready to give up because I was just exhausted by it all, and I think that was the case for many of us. So many in my cohort had tried so hard, only to give up when it finally mattered. I overcame this by changing my studying style: I started going to public libraries to study rather than sitting in my room and I started focusing on answering practise questions rather than simply rewriting what I’d learnt.
Outside of the classroom, what extra-curricular activities did you engage in, how have they influenced you today?
I played a lot of guitar, and I did cycling competitively. Music and sport were what kept me calm because they were a distraction that benefitted me in a positive way. Learning a new song or going out for a ride always left me feeling refreshed and ready to put my head back down.
If you could go back and talk to yourself as a younger student, what advice would you give yourself?
I’m happy with where I am. There’s nothing I would really want to change. Maybe I would tell myself to make sure I really want to do something before I commit the next few years of my life to it. I spent a lot of time trying to get into medicine, and when I got rejected I was, to my surprise, overcome with relief above all else. I didn’t even realise how little I wanted to do medicine until the door closed on me. If I’d just committed to the ANU from the outset, I would have been a lot less stressed.
What are you most proud of in your schooling so far?
My relationship with my teachers is something I’m proud of. As you get older, the relationship becomes increasingly informal. Of course, you’re always on a last-name basis with them but in my later years I really enjoyed being able to have a proper conversation with an adult who wasn’t my mother or father. I don’t know if I am proud of anything specific, but I am really happy about that.
RHYS D’SOUZA: ATAR 97.3, Bachelor of Dental Health Science/Master of Denistry, Griffith University
If you could go back and talk to yourself as a younger student, what advice would you give yourself?
I wish that I had a more diligent work ethic earlier on. It was something I only really developed in Year 12. If I had started earlier, my final year of school would have been easier for sure. Being able to find the best way to study for yourself, and developing the time management and organisational skills in order to study effectively is so vital in performing effectively and efficiently in school
What were the most memorable moments in your time here at Trinity?
My most memorable moments at Trinity would be my final swimming carnival and the Year 12 Retreat. Being able to celebrate the final year of high school with a cohort going through the same rollercoaster of emotions was really memorable and unique to my experience at Trinity.
Can you briefly explain the process you went through in deciding upon your university courses? What were your major considerations and where did you get your information from? (eg. Did you first look at the course or the university? Did the course / university have a good reputation? Job prospects, mode of study, location.)
The process of applying for courses like medicine and dentistry was definitely daunting for me. There was a lot of information to digest regarding the various dates for various applications/forms, or special exams to study for or preparing for interview rounds etc. It required lots of research throughout the year and my biggest advice, especially for anyone considering the aforementioned career options, is to get well informed as early as possible. Nothing is worse than missing a due date, or an opportunity just by not knowing the right information at the right time. I also recommend really investigating alternative pathways in the instance that your ATAR might not be competitive enough, as universities offer a variety of ways to study the course you want to study, for example re-applying the following years with your university GPA instead of your ATAR
