As Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) Year 12 students prepare to graduate this Friday 18 November 2022, Carmel College Thornlands student and Sports Leader Sam Reinhold reflects on his senior years and details how he realised his true passion lies in science and mathematics.
Sam Reinhold:
Before senior school I had always put a lot of emphasis and time into my interest in music. I had played piano since I was five years old and was specifically captivated by composition and writing music; learning a broad range of techniques and genres. For this reason, when it came time to pick my senior subjects, I selected music along with Study of Religion, Specialist Mathematics, Mathematical Methods, General English, and Physics.
However, by the time I reached Year 11 my interests shifted into the fascinating fields of mathematics and science. In my senior years, I had found a passion for Mathematics and understanding fundamental patterns within applied systems, which can be used to model real world solutions.
One of the most memorable assessment pieces I did in high school was modelling the population of invasive species in Australia, which pushed me to learn the basics of mathematical ecology; a field in which I never would have learned about, or be interested in, if it weren’t for the opportunities that senior school had given me.
For these reasons I plan to study a Bachelor of Mathematics at the University of Queensland in 2023, which, if accepted, offers me the privilege to have the flexibility to choose between a range of courses in both applied and theoretical mathematics.
With these broad interests, the most impactful part of my senior year was the sense of community support that pushed me to pursue both my love of Performing Arts and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Without such a community, full of both supportive teachers and student leaders, I would not have able to achieve high results in these areas, and I also would have never been interested in these specific fields and subjects in the first place.
One example of this is how a small club that I joined in Year 9, that used to set up and run assemblies, has changed into a full production team that runs all the College’s shows, and has taught me various skills like basic sound engineering, stage design and lighting. This is all because of the wider community that has been built by the hard-working student leaders and teachers.
Now, at the end of my time in secondary education, Carmel College feels more like a second home to me than simply a place full of classrooms. It is clear to me now that my high school experience has taught me the importance of getting involved in such a community.
My biggest piece of advice that I would give to the upcoming senior students aiming for academic success, would be to develop a passion for the subjects in which you are studying, because willpower flamed solely by pressure to achieve success in your subjects, can only get you so far. I know, easier said than done, but there are concreate ways in which you can trick your brain into enjoying learning.
Firstly, don’t let the curriculum get in the way of your education. If you are intrigued by something that you heard in class, but was never elaborated on, go learn about it yourself! This will make learning exciting, and you will want to know more. This applies to all subjects regardless of where your interests lie; it certainly helped me in areas ranging from humanities, arts, mathematics, and science.
I will be forever grateful of the opportunities that my senior years have given me. It has fuelled my passion for learning and without such a supportive community, I would never have achieved such success.