pathways & humanities
Social Justice & Law
Liana Tenace
2015 BSC Graduate
Bachelor of Laws
Latrobe University
Studying Legal Studies in VCE gave me the confidence I needed to pursue law at university. The subject provided me with a basic understanding of the Australian legal system, as well as knowledge of some of the core law subjects that are taught at university - such as criminal law and civil law. With this foundational knowledge, I felt well equipped to be successful in these otherwise daunting subjects.
Studying a humanities subject at Brunswick Secondary College is unique in itself, and has helped to foster a strong sense of social justice within me. During the Legal Studies course, we were given every opportunity to analyse injustices within the legal system, and were always encouraged to discuss potential ways to combat these.
The broader benefit to studying humanities in high school is the writing skills you inevitably acquire. Any Humanities, Arts, or English based subject at university will require you to write and analyse topics in a clear and thorough manner. By completing Legal Studies at high school, I was able to practice and develop these skills before commencing a tertiary education. This opportunity proved invaluable to me, and I would strongly encourage students to take it.
Liana is currently studying Law at La Trobe University and working for Victoria Legal Aid.
Totally Digging it
Nikki Petropoulos
BSC Graduate 2014
Bachelor of Arts
University of Melbourne
My VCE experience had me jumping in-between the arts and sciences in a hope to open up the path I would go down when I finished Year 12.
Amidst the load of Maths Methods, Biology and Chemistry, History was a last-minute subject choice for my final year. Boy, am I glad that happened!
Since going off to university I have completed a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Ancient World Studies at the University of Melbourne. My Arts degree has been one of the most rewarding challenges I have ever embarked on and it has opened my mind to the cultures of the world and their remarkable histories. My love of history will take me around the world as an archaeologist - digging and documenting what in the world can to be found!
Nikki is currently taking a year off (after 17 years of study!), considering and investigating the best career path to follow in order to work in the field of protection and management of cultural heritage and history.
Serving the Community
David Vadori
BSC Graduate 2015
Bachelor of Arts
the University of Melbourne
Studying Humanities at BSC allowed me to broaden my understanding of the world. Too often we are taught to view the world in discrete black and white. In reality, the world is full of shades.
Studying Humanities opens you up to seeing the world through a range of different and, often contradictory, perspectives. This awareness has helped add layers of complexity to my work at university and also in thinking creatively at work.
David is currently studying Arts at the University of Melbourne and is working as an advisor for Peter Khalil (the Honourable Member for Wills).
Understanding Humanity
Emily Wood-Trounce
BSC Graduate 2015
Bachelor of Arts (Anthropology)
University of Melbourne
Studying Humanities in high school was an amazing way of learning critical thinking skills which have been essential in my course, as well as incredibly beneficial for my own life.
To think in humanist terms and have a flexible, critical mind are pretty important things when you are trying to make sense of the world around you.
I think real social progress comes from an understanding of humanity in all of its crazy, dysfunctional, unique presentations throughout the world. The field is broad and offers so many options for exploratory study, the content for which is ever-growing.
For a mind that enjoys engaging in interesting debate, questioning concepts like 'truth' and 'reality', and being able to entirely personalise their own study pathway, humanities is definitely the way to go.
Emily is currently studying Anthropology at the University of Melbourne and working for The Wilderness Society as a fundraiser.
Thank you...
Special thanks to Nikki, David, Emily & Liana for taking the time and effort to contribute to this Brunswick Star and to share their 'Beyond Brunswick' experiences with the BSC community.