Students met with senior leaders and executives of Commonwealth Bank to receive coaching on how to master an interview. CBA staff also reviewed the students’ resumes and gave valuable feedback.

Senior leaders were glowing in their response to the interviews and were impressed by the level of students’ preparation and professionalism.

The day was led by Senior Manager of Market Positioning and Engagement, Andrew Roberts, Senior Manager of Risk Management, Adam Rose, and Commercial Analyst, Charli Montgomery who facilitated the day’s activities and took the students for a celebratory lunch at the renowned restaurant Vapiano in Flinders Lane.

Congratulations to all the students who attended and represented the college with such aplomb.

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Congratulations to team members: Paige Beamish, Emma Hipwell, Bella Eddy, Anna Winter, Katie Copeland, Charlotte Wigney, Lu Lu Wah, Lwel Chris, Mollie Dobeli, Mackenzie Strawbridge and Hannah Whillance.

A huge thank-you to Kate Shallard for her coaching and support on the day and Kade Kalms for scoring for the team.

Ìę Ìę

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Congratulations to the following award-winners


Highly Commended: Alby Winneke-Boyle – ‘Hunger’

Honourable Mention: April Sanderson-Eales – ‘Friends’

Honourable mention: Roman Martin – ‘Paths’

Zart Visual Communication Design Award: Salena Cummins – ‘Taboo Tatoo’

Cavalier Visual Communication Design Award: Eliza Foard – ‘Gekt Streetwear Clothing branding’

Margaret Standen Photography Award: Kaitlyn Allan – ‘Femininity to nature’

Click Acquisitive Award: Blayze Bell – ‘Pain Projection’

BSSC Art Fashion Award: Hannah Jackson – ‘Broiler Chicken’

Parents and Friends Award: Jo Honey – ‘Mum and Elsa’

Student Leadership Team Award: Talia Kellett – ‘The Knot Fairy’

La Trobe University Visual Arts Award: Jane Goodman – ‘Water Lily’

Best Media Music Video: Ben Martin – ‘Xanephine’

Best Media Short Film: Nicholas Reed – ‘This is Bodysnatchers’

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He’s aiming for a career in business, or corporate law, and keen to live and work regionally or rurally.

Nathan first became fascinated by the idea of studying law during Years 7 and 8 when he took an interest in politics.

“I chose a Legal Studies elective in Year 9 and really enjoyed it,” he says. “Since then I’ve remained interested in the Humanities but especially the legal side of things.”

The caveat for Nathan is that he is driven by a desire to contribute positively to others.

“Ethics rather than money is a big driver for me,” he says.

He carries concerns about a number of global social and environmental issues, and his attitude reflects this.

“To me, it feels like the world’s going backwards,” he laments. “There’s not enough positive action to address serious problems and far too much short-term thinking based on greed—or whether a party can win the next election.

“The problems look so great, I wonder whether people my age will have any hope of living to 100 years?”

Nathan also looks at our political system and sees too many issues treated as political footballs. He cannot see the will or motivators that could generate more balanced approached to complex issues.

But right now, as the end of Year 12 approaches, it is his VCE studies that are uppermost in his mind.

He’s enjoying his time at BSSC, though he initially found the sheer size of the place and the number of students quite daunting.

Despite being more comfortable in a setting where everyone knows everyone else, he says he thinks of the college as a “meeting place”.

Nathan says BSSC feels like a place that is “guiding us towards adulthood, into success, and the hope of a good life”.

Always a keen student, Nathan enjoys learning, but this has really ramped up over the last four years of his education.

He is really appreciating the way teachers and students interact at BSSC—something he describes as a two-way relationship.

“I feel like I’m being respected and supported by all my teachers,” he says.

However, for Nathan, Naomi Flint exemplifies all that he admires most in a teacher.

“I had Naomi for Year 11 Legal Studies and as my Advisor,” he says. “I fainted in class once, and she really looked after me incredibly well—but all my teachers here are really good.”

When he sits down to do his homework, Nathan likes to use practice questions to prepare for exams and make mind maps which allow him to memorise networks and construct logical answers.

While he admits to a certain level of procrastination, there are other times when he has absolute intense focus and knocks over hours of work in one hit.

“I usually do revision in a rhythm of work and regular breaks,” he says.

Nathan is grateful that his parents have consistently encouraged him to take his education seriously and is aware how fortunate he is to have a stable and supportive network.

“It’s like having something really solid to fall back on and I never take it for granted,” he says.

“Dad always states, ‘If you want this, you’ve got to put in the work’ while Mum has been such a supporter and encourager. It feels like we make a perfect team.”

Nathan is grateful he’s already realised the value and importance of his family He recognises the model he’s grown up with as one worth striving to recreate in the future.

Despite the many positives in his life, 2023 has been a stressful year for Nathan. Luckily he has a brilliant method of de-stressing and re-invigorating himself.

“Tennis is my getaway,” he says. “I put a lot of effort into it. I’m presently doing about four hours a week, but I play more in summer.”

Nathan says his ‘weapon’ in tennis is his serve, and he coaches part-time as well.

If he could go back in time and offer his 12-year-old self some advice, he would tell young Nathan to be more confident in his own ability.

“You will be able to do all the things you want to, and you will be able to face what you’ll have to face,” he’d say. “Above all, trust yourself.”

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Ngarrindjeri Country incorporates the beautiful Coorong—a lush and beautiful area around the mouth of the Murray River in South Australia.

“I didn’t find out we had this amazing connection until I was around 12 years old,” Emily remembers. “I felt good about it, but at first didn’t realise what it truly meant. My dad has always told my sister and me to wear our heritage with pride.

“I’ve never been treated badly because I’m an Aboriginal person and I love being on Country when we visit.”

This year, Emily’s life revolves around school and her part-time job as a waitress at GPO. The word that comes to mind when she thinks about BSSC is ‘wonderful’

“There have been times when I’ve struggled with school,” she admits. “Whenever I reach out to my teachers they all make me feel very included and supported.”

Emily studied Unit 3/4 Biology in Year 11 and was grateful for the way her teacher Vanessa welcomed her into the Year 12 class.

“My classics teacher, Ian, has also really believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself,” she says.

Emily has made some real ‘keepers’ of friends with who she hopes to stay connected even after they all leave BSSC.

“My friends are one of the motivators that helps me get to school some days,” she says.

Emily names these friends, alongside her family, as what she is most grateful for.

“When we were younger my sister and I used to fight quite a bit,” she says. “As we’re maturing, I’m appreciating her more and more 
 though we do still argue at times!”

Emily admits that one of her biggest challenges is actually getting to school.

“I’m terrible for sleeping through my alarm,” she says. “If I get a bad grade, or feel I’m struggling, I often get stuck and can’t motivate myself to show up.”

She says the period after the holidays are particularly hard times for her and she easily becomes quite demotivated.

ÁńÁ«ÊÓÆ”18work and study are also a real challenge.

To help with this, Emily has discovered playing music and having some snacks on her desk at home motivates her get into it.

Still unsure about what she will pursue in the future, Emily is keeping her mind and her options open.

Food Studies is one subject where she’s building skills that may serve her in future. She currently works part-time as a waitress at GPO and has signed up for a traineeship through TAFE so she can commence a Cert III in Hospitality.

Another option she’s considering is working as a legal assistant because she really enjoys Legal Studies.

“There are just too many options for someone as indecisive as me,” she says with a smile.

One decision that wasn’t hard was joining the Student Leadership Team (SLT) which she has been part of for both her years at BSSC.

“I particularly love the sense of community and how welcoming Kendall and the other students have been,” she says. “When I applied for the Vice-President position, I honestly looked at the other people who’d put their hands up and thought I had no chance.

“It was big deal for me to put myself out there and something I still feel proud of.”

Emily also recently applied for a modelling session with a significant prize attached.

“I didn’t win the prize, but they contacted me later and I have signed with an agency,” she says. “I hope to do some TV commercials or small parts in TV shows.”

Emily has a beloved dog who she describes as a “great friend”. Ìę

“There’s nothing like a dog’s welcome when you get home,” she says.

If Emily could go back in time and offer some advice to her younger self, it would be this: ÌęÌę

“Keep trying, even when you don’t really want to. Don’t stop moving forward in life, or at school.”

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Abbie worked in each of the three fabrication and assembly areas across the business, was well supported by all the staff, and really enjoyed the experience.

“It’s been awesome and everyone has been really helpful” Abbie said. “I’ve been able to do machining, welding and fabrication while I’ve been here. I love all of it, so it’s been really good.”

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The 24-hour race will see both Year 11 and 12 students test their design skills and physical endurance against more than 200 teams of Human Powered Vehicles from around the country.

Good luck everyone!

Ìę

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“Our house is between the river and the weir—the river overflowed and the weir broke,” Sneha recalls.

All of this happened overnight, masking it even more frightening for Sneha and her family.

“When the water started coming down our street I got really scared,” Sneha remembers. “Mum and Dad and my sister were really stressed and I remember going to bed to try and escape the anxiety 
 and I actually slept.”

The decision to stay or leave was made based on the predictions that the river would not rise higher than it did in 2011—but of course it did.

Sneha and her family were the only ones still in the street, which added to the stress.

“Our house is built on stumps so it sits higher than some others,” Sneha says, but the water still came all through our house.

“We’d put our furniture up—including our beds—on tables and benches, but all the floor coverings were soaked. The water got to the top of the skirting boards.”

As soon as morning came the family began ripping up carpets, but their house was like an island; the entire garden submerged.

Many people in Rochester are still awaiting repairs and Sneha says there was a real need for much more support in those early days and weeks.

“I was well cared for by my family and my teachers, but it all happened right on the brink of Year 11 exams,” Sneha says. “I actually missed a couple of exams, but made it to school for the most important Year 12 subject.”

While last year’s floods had a devastating effect on Rochester and surrounds, Sneha says there have been some positives to come out of the situation for she and her family.

“I think we’ve become more aware of caring for each other and our mental health,” she says. “We still have some small reno’s to do to the house, but so many people have had it far worse.

“Some houses are still just like a shell you can see through.”

Once Sneha started back at school, she travelled by bus as trains were unable to get through. These days she’s back on the train and uses that hour to either begin her homework, or have a much needed break.

Sneha loves the choice of subjects at BSSC and the diversity of people at the college.

“There are people from so many cultures with so many different views,” she says. “The LGBTQI+ community is well-supported and there is a genuine acceptance of diversity.”

Sneha joined the Student Leadership Team (SLT) not only to make a contribution, but to learn as much as possible, as quickly as possible, about her new college.

“SLT is a great way to make friends,” she says. “I’m really looking forward to the formal!”

Sneha was born in Fiji and came to Australia at just two years of age when her family emigrated.

Her great-great grandparents moved from India to Fiji many years ago in search of work on sugar plantations and the hope of a better life, but many family members remain in Fiji.

“My father brought us to Australia because he was worried about the increasing political unrest in Fiji,” Sneha says. “He felt Fiji was no longer a safe place for his wife and daughters.”

Initially staying with family in Melbourne, the Gosais moved to Rochester when Sneha’s father found work there.

The family’s first language is Fiji Hindi and Sneha didn’t learn fluent English until she started school.

In Year 9, she attended a three-week program at the John Monash Science School attached to Monash University.

Studying Year 10 at Catherine McCauley College, Sneha was taught by what she describes as a group of “strong, highly-intelligent women” who became important role models both as teachers and mentors.

One woman she never got to meet is her grandmother who, according to family stories, Sneha greatly resembles.

“I would love to have a converstation with her,” she says. “Fiji is very male dominated and everyone says she was a very strong woman. She sounds so cool!

At BSSC, Sneha has had predominantly male teachers and says they’ve been terrific. She’s especially appreciated the support and guidance of Brenton Heyward.

“I’ve made so many significant relationships this year at BSSC, new friends as well as teachers who are so supportive and encouraging,” Sneha says.

While Sneha is coping with the workload of Year 12, de-stressing is an important part of her routine, and that means time with people she loves—her friends and family.

“Unwinding is about time away from the stress,” she says. “I will take a whole weekend if I really need it.”

Long-term Sneha is planning to study Medicine or Dentistry and thinks she would like to live in Melbourne for a while.

Naturally she will miss her family and is grateful to her parents for the way they have brought her up.

“I see families where there are so many rules and expectations on the kids and the emphasis is not so much on positive relationships,” Sneha says.

“We have grown together over the years and there’s great respect. We can talk about anything.”

More personally, Sneha looks back over the past few years and recognises how much she has grown as a person. She explains how Covid really impacted her confidence and remote learning put a strain on friendships.

“I made an active choice to be happier, and it worked,” she says. “Others responded to my smiles and willingness to make contact, and life got much better.”

So, what advice would Sneha offer her younger self if she could travel back through time to those pre-secondary school days?

“Brace yourself—so much will change in the next four years. Who you are and who you will become are very different people. Let it happen 
 let yourself grow into, and through, the changes.”

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This unique experience promises coaching, confidence-building, and networking opportunities to boost your career. This opportunity is open to anyone interested in advancing their future prospects. All participants will be awarded a certificate for their participation.

Express your interest by emailing kellow.matt@bssc.edu.au.

Get ready for an exciting step toward your career!

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Designed to benefit the health and wellbeing of ÁńÁ«ÊÓÆ”18 students, Fresh Fruit Friday is proudly funded and supported by generous local sponsors: , , , , and the Roberts Family Foundation.

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