Belgrave’s Mater Christi College former student, Sienna O’Connor has been recognised at the 2024 Premier’s VCE Awards, receiving the prestigious Study Award for Physical Education (PE).
The award honours top achievers in Victoria’s Year 12 cohort, and for Ms O’Connor, it marks the culmination of years of hard work and dedication to her studies.
For the 18-year-old, discovering the news felt utterly surreal.
“Receiving this award was one of the most surreal things I’ve experienced,” she said.
“It honestly just made all of the hard work worth it. My mum saw the letter in the mail when I was at work, sent me a photo and asked if she could open it. I had absolutely no expectations, so I told her she could. She then sent a photo of what the letter said, and I just stood there at work in shock.”
The shock wasn’t just from receiving the award itself, but also from the recognition of her 50 study score in Physical Education, which had been a goal in itself.
“Getting a 50 in PE was rewarding enough, let alone getting a Premier’s Award, I was honestly just over the moon,” she said.
Ms O’Connor’s passion for Physical Education is deeply rooted in her lifelong love for sport.
A competitive gymnast since the age of five, sport has always been at the centre of her life.
“I live in a family that revolves around sport, so it’s always just been part of my life,” she said.
“When I got to high school and started VCE, I realised I loved learning about the science behind sport and fitness. PE was an obvious choice when picking my subjects.”
Ms O’Connor’s success wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering support from the staff at Mater Christi College, especially from her Year 12 PE teacher, Vicki Godfrey.
“All of the PE teachers at my school made classes so enjoyable,” Ms O’Connor said.
“Even when some classes were content-heavy, I was always able to relate the content to my daily life and training, which made it easier to learn. Ms Godfrey was incredible – always available to answer emails, mark practice SACs and exams, even when she wasn’t at school and it was late at night.”
Ms O’Connor’s study routine also played a key role in her success.
“I regularly checked in with Ms Godfrey when I had questions or was confused about topics,” she said.
“I did countless practice SACs for every task and marked them myself before asking Ms Godfrey to mark them. I also went to the Peak Phys Ed lectures with Rob Malpeli to get a deeper understanding of how to answer questions precisely.”
However, the 18-year-old’s journey wasn’t without its challenges.
In April 2024, she suffered a severe ankle injury that put her out of gymnastics for most of the year.
This forced her to rethink her approach to balancing sport and study.
“Before my injury, I was training 12 hours a week and managing my schoolwork, which I could handle,” she said.
“But after the injury, my whole routine shifted. Suddenly I wasn’t training, and I had too much free time, so I focused more on my schoolwork.”
Her PE teacher, Ms Morris, recognised this shift and offered some supportive words that helped her adjust.
“Ms Morris said, ‘I found out you injured yourself and was gutted, but then I thought this could be your year. With no gymnastics training, you’ve got more time, and you’re going to do so well with your VCE,’” Ms O’Connor said.
“In that moment, I agreed with her, but I never could’ve expected to get a 50 in PE.”
Now a first-year student at Monash University, where she’s studying a Bachelor of Physiotherapy, Ms O’Connor finds that her VCE experiences continue to shape her future.
“I’ve already used what I learned in Year 12 PE at university, and it links perfectly with the sport I do in my day-to-day life,” she said.
For students considering VCE or those passionate about Physical Education, Ms O’Connor has some simple advice.
“Use your teachers. They’re one of your best resources. If they can see that you’re putting in the effort, they will do everything they can to help you get there,” she said.
“Practice questions are so important. Complete as many practice SACs as you can, and always mark them yourself before handing them in.”
She also shared some study strategies that helped her stay on top of her workload.
“If you have multiple SACs or exams in a week, break up your study over the week. Don’t cram for one subject each day. Do a little bit of each subject every day to avoid stress.”
For Ms O’Connor, the most important takeaway from her VCE journey is pretty straightforward.
“Put in just a little extra time each night, and it will make such a difference. If you set a goal for yourself, it will help keep you motivated, and when you achieve that goal, it will be so rewarding,” she said.
Ms O’Connor is proud of how far she’s come and she looks forward to her future in physiotherapy.
