This week we welcomed 63 students from the cohort of 71 2023 graduates who attained an ATAR of 90 and above to celebrate them as the Scholars of 2023. The assembly also recognised the 2023 QCE Subject Prizes winners and celebrated the external Proxime Accessit to the Dux and Dux.
These high achieving academic students have gained entry into a broad range of degrees across multiple universities in Australia and overseas – from neuroscience in Chicago, Biomedical Science at Notre Dame Sydney, to Mechanical Engineering at the University of New South Wales. Many will be studying at The University of Queensland (UQ) and Queensland University of Technology (QUT), with health sciences, law and business, and engineering among the most common courses to be pursued by this group.
The Scholars Assembly provides the opportunity to not only recognise these students’ outstanding achievements but also to inspire the current students through sage advice presented to the students on the assembly and available in a booklet accessible to the student body.
Dux and 2023 school captain Se Yeon Kim who will be studying a Bachelor of Science at UQ with provisional entry into Medicine, and who was one of only 34 students throughout Queensland to receive an ATAR of 99.95, said she had followed her mother’s advice: “Don’t regret it.”
This means aligning your choices with your goals and priorities and when presented with two options asking yourself “will I regret it later?”.
Se Yeon finished by saying that by following this advice you will not be hindered by the ‘what’s ifs’ and ‘could haves’ throughout your life.
Our scholars have set a fine example for our students to follow, and their refreshing honesty about what they did when things didn’t go to plan, as well as everything that went well, was also very valuable.
Matisse Fennessy who will be studying Bachelor of Humanities/Laws (Honours) at UQ said she learnt her lesson after receiving an ’horrendous’ mark as the result pulling an all-nighter. She then resolved to prioritise sleep over study and never studied past 9.30pm again, bringing her study forward so there was never again a need to study too late into the evening.
Similarly, Lucy Williams who is headed to live and study at Sydney’s Notre Dame while pursuing Biomedical Science said study hard but schedule study breaks.
“Do something to fill your bucket,” she advised, ensuring there was something enjoyable to look forward.
One of the most common pieces of advice that scholars provide is to take up all the opportunities available in terms of assistance offered by the dedicated teaching staff at St Margaret’s.
“Listen to your teachers,” said Sienna Crockett, who will study a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) at UQ.
“They really do give some of the best advice.”
Similarly, Lucy Edwards who will be studying a Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering and Medical Science at the University of Sydney advised: “Don’t be scared to talk to your teachers and ask for their opinions; they want you to succeed and will not judge your work as they are there to help you.”
We also congratulate the external Proxime Accessit to the Dux, Elizabeth Sloman, who was unable to attend the assembly.
We wish all our 2023 graduates every success as they embark on life beyond the school gates. We hope they will stay connected through the Old Girls’ Association and we look forward to hearing from them and welcoming them back to St Margaret’s in the future.