Meet a student

10 minutes with…. 

Princess Canapi

1. Tell us a little about your life outside of school? Eg. Family, hobbies. Passions
   Outside of school, I consider myself very artistic and enjoy creating artworks, crafts, or writing – they’re all things that help keep me calm and functioning. I’m also very attached to my two cats :)
    
2. What do you like most about being a student at Marian College?
   Being a student at Marian has, at the very least, developed an environment where I have the chance to interact with others in different ways. My favourite part used to be the Resource Centre because of how many books there were, but nowadays its more so the different extracurricular activities I can join. 
    
3. Who inspires you:
   -  At school
   At school I am (unsurprisingly) inspired by my favourite teachers – I am not sure if I am meant to name them, but there are a few specific teachers that I either think are cool, smart, or are just great at interacting with other people. One in particular is all three – she’s able to communicate in a range of different languages and her teaching style ensures that we’re prepared for SACs and exams.
   
   - In Australia?
   In Australia, I am really not too sure. It mostly boils down to the many different artists and creators I see in galleries. It takes a lot to put yourself out there and be prepared to face the criticisms and views of others – especially on something as personal as art.
    
4. What are the biggest challenges facing teenage girls today?
   I’m going to sound like a mom, but “those phones” – not in the sense that screentime is bad or keeping in touch with your friends is bad, but more so that as a teen girl myself, I think COVID has really affected the way people talk to others. Even influencer culture has taken a new form, and trends are extremely hard to keep up.
   
   We’re also facing a widespread identity crisis because of our obsession with aesthetics and styles – something a lot of people don’t realise is that dedicating yourself to ONE aesthetic can hinder your own development as a person. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to look a certain way, but some people shape their personalities around it, and its been extremely harmful.
    
5. What advice would you give to students at Marian College?
   Never forget that you’re not meant to be at the end of your progression as a person just yet – learn to get used to change, develop good study methods, and be a little kinder to yourself because once you hit senior year, there’ll be no time to learn all of that. (I personally recommend ‘active recall’ when it comes to studying)
    
6. Favourite food & drink?
   It changes every week. Honestly, I think churros, but its competing with tteokbokki. My favourite drink is ramune though! 
    
7. Favourite holiday destination?
   PHILIPPINES 100%. It’s where I am from, and SM is quite literally the biggest mall I’ve ever seen. It’s bigger than anything I’ve seen in Australia.
   
   I really want to visit Greece, though – its on my list of places to go since the museums look amazing over there.
    
8. Favourite TV show & Movie?
   My favourite TV show is Brooklyn 99 and my favourite movie would either be La La Land or A Silent Voice. 
    
9. What are your dreams for the future?
   I want to be a lawyer – but I also want a smaller art job on the side. I also want to live in the city. If I am being honest, I have a lot of what I want planned out, so for now I want to go into the future confident that I have enjoyed my time as a teenager and content in my achievements.
    
10. Which 5 people in history would you like to invite to a dinner party?
    Princess Diana, Jane Austen, William Blake, Jane Austen’s friend named “Martha”, and William Shakespeare