The coveted accolade of St Margaret’s Berwick Grammar 2022 Dux has gone to Brianna Munns and Ovin Jayawardana, who achieved ATAR scores of 99.55 and 99.45 respectively.
Both students said they were ecstatic to receive their scores on Monday morning.
“I was so nervous the night before, I couldn’t sleep, but I was so happy just knowing all the hard work had paid off,” Brianna said.
Ovin said finding out he was one of the school’s duxes was an added bonus to receiving the score.
“It’s a nice achievement and I’m very happy with it, but for me the Dux wasn’t the be-all and end-all, it was more about getting a score to get into the course I wanted,” he said.
The Senior Boys Dux hopes to study medicine at Monash University, while Brianna is also seeking entry to Monash, where she wants to study a double degree in law and arts, majoring in psychology.
The Duxes said finding a balance in their study routines and maintaining social connections was vital to their academic success throughout VCE.
“I just tried to listen to my body…if you feel you’re getting super tired, don’t be afraid to take that break, whether it’s watching TV or hanging out with your friends, allow your body to have that break from study and it will make it that much more effective when you do jump back into your school work,” Brianna said.
Ovin also worked to find a balance between studying 25 hours a week, working at his part-time job and meeting up with friends.
“For the most part I found I was able to find that balance, but come exam time it was definitely a lot harder,” he said.
“Interestingly, I found that it made motivation harder when I wasn’t doing those hobbies.”
St Margaret’s Berwick Grammar principal Dr Annette Rome said the 2022 VCE cohort completed their studies with maturity, application and grace.
“While we acknowledge the outstanding results in 2022 and laud our duces, we are also so proud of every young person in our community. Behind every one of them is a story of courage, curiosity and character,” she said.
“This year’s class of 2022 has been particularly adept at looking after others and making each other smile. Frankly, they have been an absolute delight to work with. I wish them, and all VCE graduates, a fruitful and happy future.”
