Pair given early taste of uni life
By Jesse Hyden, Year 12, St Augustine’s College
DURING the 2016 summer holidays, St Augustine’s senior students Lachlan Doyle and Dean Ramsay participated in the UQ Young Scholars Program.
This immersive five-day camp is an annual opportunity for some 200 Year 11 students to experience university life.
The participants have a taste of higher education, watching distinguished keynote speakers, engaging in hands-on activities and trying out the University of Queensland’s cultural, social and sporting life at its St Lucia campus.
Attendance is contingent on outstanding academic performance, and is meant to acquaint the best and brightest of future UQ alumni with their peers, as well as bolstering enthusiasm for a dynamic career. Although the program varies every year, on this camp the students had such options as an interactive archaeological dig-site, a mock-up senate room experience, lab days and critical reasoning courses, among dozens of other possibilities.
All throughout, the students stayed on campus at King’s College, appreciating the university’s historic grounds and sampling the life of a fulltime student.
For Dean, a highlight was the social aspect of the program.
“I enjoyed meeting likeminded young people, many of whom I have kept in touch with,” he said.
Lachlan echoed his HERE at Holy Cross it is the Year of the Unicorn, and we have an awesome quote that goes with it: “It’s not a unicorn, it’s a horse with a sword on its head to protect your hopes and dreams.” sentiment and said of the program: “This was an extremely valuable experience for investigating possible careers. I feel less daunted by the choice now that I have some experience in so many fields.”
The UQ Young Scholars Program proved highly valuable for its participants, helping to guide Queensland’s young academics – and our future leaders – towards fulfilling careers.