Inspirational insights on our women of the future

Latest News

Inspirational insights on our women of the future

The challenge and reward for some of our senior students has resulted in fascinating insights into Brigidine’s academic studies.

Students in Years 11 and 12 were invited to put their case forward to receive one of five Study Grants for Business Studies, Economics, Geography/Science, History Extension and Maths Extension provided by some of our donors, National Australia Bank (NAB), Margaret Cook and the Trussell Family. The competition was strong from 20 students and the submissions and their achievements were so impressive. The successful recipients will receive a grant for $500 which we hope will assist in furthering opportunities for these young women who are bound to have an impact in their chosen field of study. The following are short excerpts from their submissions where the girls expressed their interest in the subject and hopes for the future.

If you would like to support an initiative for students please contact Di Lawrence and talk about your interest either by email dlawrence@brigidine.nsw.edu.au or phone 02 9988 6278.

NAB BUSINESS STUDIES AWARD WINNER

Jasmine Guyot, Year 12

Over the course of my senior years I have thoroughly enjoyed studying Business Studies as it has allowed me to gain a deeper understanding into real world applications of business and add a practical scope to a subject that I am passionate about studying. I have been able to flourish in my studies at Brigidine due to the support of my teachers and the learning environment, and this has made my passion for business develop as I continue my studies into tertiary education and a career in business. Business Studies allows you to relate the content learned about in class to real world situations. With the case studies on actual businesses and through my own studies, it has helped me to think more deeply about the products I am buying and the deliberate choices made by businesses in relation to their products.

I plan further study at a tertiary level and have applied for several scholarships, cadetships, and courses that will further my study in business. I have also applied for a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Education (Secondary) and am keen to pursue this passion with a possible career path of secondary teaching to share my love for this area of study with future students just like me.

NAB ECONOMICS AWARD WINNER

Mia Teuma, Year 12

Economics to me is more than a subject to learn, it is a passion that always holds my interest. With each statistic release noted down in my calendar and articles read each morning and afternoon, economics has naturally fit itself in to my life … My passion has resulted in me looking to enjoy and learn more than what is offered in the HSC Economics course. As a result, I have attended multiple webinars run by economic institutes and universities such as the Grattan Institute and University of Technology Sydney. In addition to this, at the beginning of 2021 I enrolled in and completed an online Modern Monetary Theory economics course held by Newcastle University.

I hope to learn more and to question more of what economics has to offer, with the intention to complete further tertiary study in economics, majoring in econometrics.

GEOGRAPHY/SCIENCE AWARD WINNER

Elizabeth Thomson, Year 12

My passion for the study of environmental sciences has led me to completing a research paper on the use of microbial bioremediation in crude oil polluted soils for my Science Extension major work. Within the paper I explore the ability to apply microorganism to the breaking down of toxic substances and how this is used within a theoretical and practical field. This area of research is important as increased frequency of oil spills and the destructive nature of oil extraction has caused severe environmental damage and has left behind pollution that is near impossible to reverse.

Bioremediation is one of the safest and most effective ways of sustainably clearing this pollution and scientific research in the area is booming. Through this research I furthered my understanding on biotechnology while exploring a topic that I am highly interested in.

TRUSSELL HISTORY EXTENSION AWARD WINNER

Cam Pryor, Year 12

I have loved the process of getting to research and explore a topic in-depth. My focus has been Cold War history, and the developments of how it has been written and constructed, and ultimately what its historiographical process has had on our understanding. This particular aspect of history has always interested me and completing this project has made me want to continue my investigation, even after handing in the major work. This experience really helped to develop my writing skills, and my ability to self-conduct an investigation.

My future intention for studies is currently focused on university … either a Bachelor in Ancient History or a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Secondary Education as a double degree. It has been my dream career to teach my passion for history at some point in my life. I want to pass on not only what I have learned, but also all the skills that come with historical investigation within the classroom that can be used for other aspects of study.

NAB MATHS EXTENSION AWARD WINNER

Charlotte Price, Year 12

I hold a firm belief that the world around us can be mostly explained by mathematics. We can model the rise and fall of the tides, predict the risk and reward of events and see patterns all around us in nature, like the fractals existing within ferns and the Fibonacci sequence spiral that makes up many seashells. But what I find even more amazing is the gaps that exist within knowledge, such as the infamous Collatz Conjecture, a math question that anybody past Year 3 can understand but nobody has ever been able to prove. It is for this reason that I am passionate about maths; it seems to be flawlessly complete, yet there is still so much to explore.

I have made applications for courses such as actuarial studies, engineering and computer sciences at universities including the University of New South Wales, University of Technology Sydney and the University of Sydney. Despite being drawn to the high levels of maths, and the appeal of being able to major in pure maths in a degree of actuarial studies, I believe that these courses will all challenge me to apply the problemsolving strategies that I have learned in mathematics so far at Brigidine.