Olivia Taylor
ATAR: 99.65
Olivia’s commitment to her studies and the depth of her involvement in co-curricular activities was a reflection of her positive and enthusiastic approach to all that she was involved with. In her Senior year, she held the leadership position of Academic Captain, whilst at the same time being a committed member of the String Orchestra, Big Band, Senior Years Choir and Symphony Orchestra.
Understanding the importance of balance, she also enjoyed Netball and Cross Country as well as Community Service activities, which helped develop relationships, time management, grit and overall enhanced her general wellbeing.
Olivia’s confidence in both individual and collaborative working situations stemmed from engaging in both academic and co-curricular challenges that were presented to her at School. She demonstrated the School’s values of respect, compassion, integrity and courage in all spheres of endeavour, and she will no doubt continue to contribute and to lead in her areas of passion well beyond her secondary and tertiary studies.
Q. How have you developed as a person during your time at Glennie? During the past six years my resilience has grown. Learning not to sweat the small stuff, and to see a mistake as an opportunity to get better. That is something that takes practice but will serve you well in everything you do for your whole life.
Q. What was your motivation to continuously strive for improvement? I have been lucky in that I have always known that I wanted to do medicine. Even though there are so many ways to get there, I knew that doing well in school would give me the best chance of being able to study medicine at university. As cheesy as it sounds, reminding myself of this goal always made me push a bit harder for those high results.
Q. What does All She Can Be mean to you? All She Can Be means that as Glennie girls, we learn in an environment that prepares us and gives us every opportunity we need to chase our goals. But we know they will not be handed to us. As privileged as Glennie girls are to have so much opportunity and support, we still need to put in the work.
Q. What was the highlight of your time spent at Glennie? Especially during Grades 11 and 12, all of my classes were small, so I got to know my teachers and all the girls in my classes well, and we had the best time together. Things like having lunch in the courtyard together, inside jokes with Mr Baldock and drinking tea during chemistry are fond memories.
Q. How did you continually challenge yourself to improve and reach your potential? Looking at the big picture towards my end goal was something that always motivated me to work hard. But aside from that, discipline is also important. Motivation is a big factor, but you can’t always be motivated, so it’s the discipline to do the work that keeps you aiming high.
Q. What was the secret ingredient in achieving your results? Surrounding myself with the right people. Having a wide variety of friends exposed me to so many other students who were motivated to achieve, not just at school but in their cocurricular pursuits as well. It lifted my motivation, which goes to show how important it is to create a supportive environment for yourself.
