20 Dec 2019
The year 10 excellence awards were held on December 4, to recognise students for their achievements and hard work in 2019. We spoke to recent Telopea Park School year 10 graduate, School Captain and award recipient, Elanor Parkinson, about her experience of secondary school and her plans for the future.
Elanor has an impressive list of achievements to her name, in addition to the year 10 excellence award, she was awarded Dux by Telopea, is a member of the ACT debating squad and is a capable and confident public speaker.
In 2017, she competed in The Rostrum Voice of Youth public speaking competition, for which she came in 2nd place nationally with a speech on the importance of public school education - a topic she says is inspired by her own experience, having attended public schools her whole life.
Elanor is also a published author. Her first book, a children’s story called Wolf Espionage, hit the shelves when she was in year 7. For her, writing has always been something she enjoys doing and spends much of her spare time on, to turn this into a career would be her dream.
When asked what her greatest accomplishment has been, it’s not the awards or competition wins that come to mind; Elanor is particularly proud of successfully making it through school and always pursuing the things she cares about.
For other secondary students wishing to follow her example, Elanor suggests three keys to success: build good habits and skill; prioritise a work/life balance; and always take the opportunities that come your way. Elanor also acknowledges her teachers and peers from Telopea.
“It’s so important to have a peer group that pushes you.” she said.
Her next big venture is transitioning to an ACT college to embark on the final two years of her tertiary education.
Elanor said she is excited and not too nervous about college, crediting her education with helping her to feel prepared.
Congratulations, Elanor, we wish you all the best for the future.