Dedicated students thrilled with top results

A TRIO of dedicated students has the world at their feet after earning OP 1s.

St Stephen's Catholic College students Dannielle McCormack, Celina Spena and Kate Wilcox said the amazing results came as a relief and welcome surprise.

All three were hoping to study health sciences, with Miss Spena aiming to go to QUT to study optometry, Miss McCormack hoping to study medicine at the University of Queensland and Miss Wilcox planning to head to Melbourne to study medicine.

Miss Spena said while she did spend a lot of her final year in high school studying, hitting the books wasn’t everything.

“You need a balance, otherwise you won’t be able to concentrate or focus properly without having some ‘me time’,” she said.

Miss Spena said studying optometry has been a longterm dream of hers.

“I first started thinking about it as a career when I was in Year 6 and had to choose an inspirational figure to do a presentation on,” she said.

“I chose Fred Hollows and I thought that was inspiring and I kept thinking it might be something I would want to do.”

Miss McCormack said biology classes sparked her interest in studying medicine.

“I just find it so interesting some of the stuff we did in class,” she said.

Miss Wilcox said a similar passion for biology inspired her to pursue medicine.

“I think the human body is just fascinating,” she said.

“I think the fact we can walk and talk and read is just mindblowing. I’ve always wanted to give back and this is a way to do that and have a challenge.”

St Stephen's Catholic College students Dannielle McCormack, Celina Spena and Kate Wilcox earned OP 1s.