Our Amazing Graduates!

We are excited to introduce a new feature to 'St Stephen's News', where we catch up with past students and hear about what they have achieved since graduating. In this edition we are proud to feature Dr Marco Soncin and thank him for generously sharing his story. 

Since graduating from St Stephen’s Catholic College in 2017, Marco Soncin has undertaken the intense process of completing a 6 year medical degree. Dr Soncin finalised his studies in late 2023 and is now undertaking an internship at Cairns Hospital. During his internship, Marco will experience a range of areas including general medicine, surgery and emergency medicine.

As a student at St Stephen’s Marco knew that he wanted to work in the health profession  and was drawn to the medical degree as it had a lot of options for different specialities and areas of medicine in which he could work. The first 3 years of his medical degree focused on the study of basic sciences while the last 3 years were clinical, allowing placement in specialities including; surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, psychiatry, emergency medicine and anaesthetics. Marco undertook his clinical placements in a range of locations including; Cooktown, Mount Isa, Ayr and Tully, while also visiting outreach clinics at Wujal Wujal, Hope Vale, Normanton, Cloncurry, Mornington Island and Doomadgee.

When reflecting on his high school years, Marco says,

Being organised, having good time management skills, prioritising study when necessary and having a good work-life balance are all important skills for success in your senior years of high school.

Marco also noted that his most significant mentors were his teachers in his senior year, including then Principal Mrs Pinese, and Mr Veschetti, who both helped Marco with his medical entry application.

Marco kindly shared some tips for current students at St Stephen’s:

For students currently in their senior years, I would encourage them to work hard to ensure they have the best career options available. It’s also important to be aware of the requirements for any degree they are interested in, whether that be prerequisites for subjects to be completed at school or by completing work experience in that field to see what a normal working day is like. 

 

I think it’s also important to consider the workload of each degree as well as job opportunities. It’s also important to find a balance between school work and any other extracurricular activities, which will assist in a good work-life balance.  I would also encourage students to apply for any scholarships or bursaries that they can find, which can help financially.

 

The biggest difference from high school to university studies is the transition to self-directed study. While some lectures are mandatory, a lot will be optional, so it’s important to continue to attend class to stay up to date and make your life easier when studying for end of semester exams. University can be stressful, so it’s important to maintain any hobbies or sports that you played while at high school. Uni is also definitely easier with a good group of friends where you can study together, share resources and debrief, particularly as this is the first time most students are living away from home.

When asked about his education at St Stephen’s, Marco reflected that his 5 years of study prepared him for life beyond high school. He also noted that the facilities and resources are of high quality and the staff are approachable and knowledgeable, also recalling that the school values excellence in diverse areas including academics, sports and extracurricular activities.

Marco intends to work as a rural generalist, which is a general practitioner who can work in a hospital providing emergency and general medical care, as well as having additional skills, such as obstetrics, anaesthetics, paediatrics, mental health or surgical services. Marco says, ‘I’m looking forward to putting the knowledge and skills I gained at university into practice and being responsible for the care of patients.’

We are so proud of Marco’s achievements and look forward to following his career as he works towards providing important medical care to people in rural communities.