VCE Conference

On the 22nd of January an excited cohort of newly appointed year twelves headed down to Melbourne to investigate a selection of universities and have their first formal event of 2020. VCE Conference is a great opportunity for year twelve students to go to Melbourne, experience a few of the different University options and seek out different career ideas, whilst getting a feel for Melbourne and what University will involve. The first stop was University College, where the year twelves were fortunate enough to stay the night in brand new rooms. Over the course of the two days the cohort visited RMIT, Melbourne University, Monash University and Deakin University Geelong. Each visit allowed the university a chance to explain the courses on offer as well as the unique opportunities offered by that institution. The large group was then split into smaller groups surrounding similar interests to talk in greater depth about the range of courses on offer, as well as providing a short tour of the campus. These tours were run by current students at the Universities who were more than willing to share their experiences at both school and university with the students. This also gave students a chance to talk to someone not much older than them about the options that lie ahead.

After visiting RMIT and Melbourne University on day one the group headed back to get ready for the VCE Conference Formal Dinner. This gave everyone a chance to catch up with their friends and get some nice photos in the courtyard garden at University College. The Formal Dinner was hosted by University College and included guest speakers Morgan Coleman and Caitlin Thwaites, both past Girtonians. Morgan Coleman spoke of his experience at Girton having always accepted himself as to not be the brightest student. as well as his hate for Fridays. He discussed how his mindset changed once going to University and how he was able to put in the work to become the very successful Indigenous Tech Entrepreneur, Property Developer and Consultant that he is today. Morgan illustrated just how much hard work can get you, saying that you ‘don’t always have to be the smartest person in the room’, which is how he often felt. Morgan also displayed that you don’t always have to take the textbook route in life to get where you want to go. Caitlin Thwaites has represented Australia on numerous occasions with great success in two different sports. Caitlin took the opportunity to highlight the huge commitment and sacrifices made by herself and her family to allow her to play elite level sport at such a young age throughout and after school. Caitlin also discussed some of her more personal battles she has had dealing with high expectations and constantly having to prove yourself on and off the court. Caitlin described her journey through various professional NetBall teams and her own battles with anxiety emphasising the fact that you aren’t alone in the world. Despite Caitlin’s very tall stature of 1.88m she was highly approachable and willing to meet and talk to students after the evening concluded.

Day two consisted of breakfast at University College, followed by a longer than expected bus trip in the rain to Monash, displaying just how bad peak hour traffic is in Melbourne. After presentations and a tour of Monash University the group visited Deakin University in Geelong before heading back to Bendigo for a well-deserved rest after an enjoyable and educational time in Melbourne.

Amy Bachmann (12 Millward)

Please click on the images above to view the gallery