Celebrating Achievement - Emma Di Nardo (Class of 2023)

 In the spirit of an old Japanese proverb that says, “Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher”, Emma acknowledges that her teachers played a huge role in her VCE success.

“My teachers provided me with both resources and knowledge to help me improve my writing and content knowledge. Much of what I learned was from teacher feedback – ideas and concepts I otherwise would not have picked upon.” 

The Senior years of secondary school are also about finding a system of study that works for you. And different approaches work for different people.

Emma developed a clear process that enabled her to absorb and maintain information.

“I took notes for each lesson, before the next lesson, to stay on top of content. I did this in a summarised format using as few words as possible without removing keywords or information.”  

Some other study tips to come out of Emma’s experience include working steadily on practice questions or paragraphs (depending on the subject), correcting them, and then giving them to teachers for feedback.

Ultimately, Emma’s recipe for success was about preparing consistently throughout the year to avoid an overwhelming exam study period and seeking teacher feedback on her work. This approach clearly worked and was reflected in her ATAR of 93.15.

Emma says her time at Mater Christi College helped her establish her interests and form her own beliefs, and perhaps it was her positive experience with her teachers that led her to choose secondary teaching for her tertiary studies in 2024.  Emma hopes to become a Legal Studies and English teacher.  

As someone who understands the difference teachers can make, Emma will no doubt be of great value to the profession in the future.

Well done Emma!

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