Class of 2020 – Sophie Hogan

Sophie joined the St Catherine’s community in Year 7. Sophie has made significant contributions to the Co-curricular life at St Catherine’s. In 2020, Sophie was a Co-Captain of Langley Templeton, leader of the Orchestra, an active and keen contributor to the Debating program, and participant in GSV Softball, and Community Service activities at St Catherine’s. Sophie is known to make the most of opportunities available to her, and is generous with her time and talents. 

Hear from Sophie about her hopes for the future, and her reflections on life at St Catherine’s as she steps beyond the Heyington Gates.

What do you plan to study post school?
Sophie: I have been offered early acceptance for an unconditional place studying a double degree of Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics and a Bachelor of Arts at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra. 

Where do you hope to study?
At the moment, I will be going to ANU but am still open to studying Arts at Melbourne University or a double degree of Arts and Law at Monash University. 

COVID-19 has thrown a spanner in the works for 2020. Has it changed your perspective of where you see yourself in five years’ time?
Not at all! I think it’s really important to not let circumstances that you can’t control influence your future plans. Instead we have to embrace it and work out how we can still achieve our long-term goals while facing the challenges of COVID-19. In five years’ time, I see myself finishing up my degree in Canberra and hopefully doing an internship at a newspaper while I’m there. COVID-19 has absolutely not changed this vision at all, I believe everything is still achievable no matter the circumstances we face.  

What have been some of the highlights of your time at St Catherine’s?
I’ve been incredibly lucky during my time at St Catherine’s and have experienced countless highlights, however one of the key events that stands out is House Arts last year. The Year 12 Langley girls were able to work together as a cohesive team and create an amazing show, and we were so proud of our efforts. Another highlight was Nationals last year, where I competed in the St Catherine’s 120 and we were the fastest second eight in Australia. Although some events were cancelled, the unity of our team and the bonds that were created over the course of the season were incredible. 

Despite COVID-19 what will you take away from this year?
Although this year has had many unforeseeable challenges, I think it’s important that we take away no regrets from our final year at School. I didn’t want to look back on this year, and think about everything that I should have done. I have learnt to make the most of every opportunity because we never know when we will have the same chance again.  

What are some life lessons you have learnt from your time at St Catherine’s, and particularly from 2020?
If you do things you enjoy, you will work harder and therefore be more successful. Always try new things. During my time at St Catherine’s, I have participated in a myriad of activities, many of which I was not good at, but I loved having a go as I learnt a lot about myself and what I enjoy.  

What has COVID-19 taught you that will be able to transfer into the next phase of your journey?
This year I have learnt that that we, as cohort, have an immeasurable capacity for resilience that we will be able to use as we begin our studies at university. Working from home has also prepared me for university life and helped me to learn to be an independent student that I will need to become in the next few years.  

How do you believe St Catherine’s and your teachers have helped you reach your goals?
My teachers have been enthusiastic and incredibly generous with their time and expertise, enabling me to reach my goals. The School community as a whole has been a supportive and positive environment, helping me to create friendships across every year level that I know will continue into the future.  

What advice would you like to provide to future Year 12 students?
You will get out of it what you put in – if you work hard and are disciplined throughout the year, your result will reflect it. You don’t want to look back on the year after receiving your result and think you could’ve done more, so work hard now and it will pay off. But most of all enjoy it! It truly is the best and hardest year of schooling so make the most of it.  

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