Stellar first semester results
The St Mark’s College motto, spernit virtus humum, can be translated as “excellence reaches for the stars”, and this is exactly what our students did in semester 1!
Our students undertook almost 1,000 subjects throughout the semester. Here’s how they fared:
- Almost 50% of grades received were Distinctions and High Distinctions.
- One fifth of our students received nothing less than a Distinction grade.
- 12 students achieved straight High Distinctions.
Congratulations to our students on their efforts and stellar first semester results!
Enthusiastic start to Semester 2
The Academic Team welcomed students back for Semester 2 with a fantastic Olympic-themed dinner during Welcome Back Week. Students met in their faculty teams before parading into the Dining Hall to enjoy a feast fit for champions and compete in the Olympic-themed table trivia and puzzles. Our academic champions enjoyed catching up with their peers and welcoming new members of the College to their respective faculties.
All fun and games
The fun continued the following week with a relaxed Games Night in the JCR hosted by the Academic Team. Collegians enjoyed getting to know each other over trivia, table tennis, pool and a collection of board games.
Academic support
To help students succeed in their studies, the College provides a comprehensive program of academic support including academic workshops, group and individual tutoring, and weekly supervised Study Hall sessions, with snacks and tutors available for drop-in support.
This semester we have 90 tutors available to support students in every faculty and across each of the three universities. Our peer-led tutorial program is mutually beneficial for students and tutors. For our high-achieving senior students, the opportunity to tutor at College is useful for consolidating their own learning and understanding of their subjects. For Old Collegians who return to tutor, it provides an ongoing connection to the College and a way of giving back to the St Mark’s community.
Students also benefit from the expertise of many of our talented staff. At one of the first Study Halls for the semester, our Research and Scholarships Manager Kathy Radoslovich, who is also our most senior Humanities and Social Sciences tutor, ran a valuable referencing refresher for students.
Old Colls off on new adventures
Kathy, who is an Old Collegian (2008-10), has since departed for King’s College at the University of Cambridge where, with the support of the prestigious Ivan Shearer Scholarship as well as a Ramsay Postgraduate Scholarship, she will undertake an MPhil in Medieval History, exploring women’s experiences of heresy.
Old Collegian Mark Hautop (St Mark’s 2010-13), also a recipient of the Ivan Shearer Scholarship for 2024, is currently en route to Oxford, where he will pursue a Master of Business Administration through the Saïd Business School, at the University of Oxford with a focus on social impact leadership and investment frameworks.
Oliver Douglas (St Mark’s 2020-23), our latest Rhodes Scholar and the 30th in the College’s history, is also commencing his postgraduate studies in British history at the University of Oxford. Last semester, as part of our Speaking from Experience series, Oliver spoke to our current students about making the most of university and College as well as scholarships and other opportunities.
As well as generously sharing their expertise as tutors, guest speakers, and mentors, these accomplished scholars provide inspiration for our students, especially those considering further study. We are grateful for their ongoing engagement with the current body of resident students and look forward to some postcards from abroad!
Academic Events
Over the past month, our students have benefited from the wisdom and experience of a number of Old Collegians.
At the Law Faculty Evening, which was held on 7 August, Old Collegians Aidan Jones (St Mark’s 2018-2021), who is now a Legal Officer at the Office of Public Integrity, and Annabelle Jones (St Mark’s 2018-2021), who is currently working as a solicitor in the Property Law Team at HWL Ebsworth, were joined by well-respected criminal lawyer Hugh Woods and Oliver Greeves, a Barrister and Solicitor in the Counsel Section of the Criminal Law Practice Division. Cameron Akehurst, our Senior Academic Tutor and Academic Coordinator for the Business and Law Faculty, was a warm and gracious host and an expert chair. As well as useful insights and practical advice for our students, the guests also generously offered shadowing opportunities, which a number of students will take advantage of during the university break.
On 20 August, our Flinders medicine and paramedicine students were invited to an informal dinner with Old Collegian Chloe Futcher (St Mark’s 2020-21), who continues to provide academic support to this cohort.
Senior dentistry tutor and Academic Coordinator, Dorisa Nasserian, organised a successful intercollegiate dentistry dinner on Tuesday 13 August, hosting fellow dentistry students from Lincoln and St Ann’s for an informal dinner and a study session. The students subsequently reconnected at the Dentistry Ball (pictured below). These informal, intercollegiate catchups are intended to provide students in niche degrees with support and companionship throughout their studies.
The following evening, Old Collegians Angus Gebhardt and Alex Makarowsky joined us for Formal Hall followed by an informal Q&A session with our Finance and Engineering students in the Senior Common Room. (Alex is pictured with Kathy Radoslovich below.)
Angus, who was at St Mark’s from 2014 – 2017 while studying Civil & Structural Engineering and Finance at the University of Adelaide and is now an Associate Director within Deloitte’s Mergers and Acquisitions Consulting Services team, kindly offered to meet with and talk to our current students about navigating life after university and his professional journey to date. He was joined by Alex, a former Hawker Scholar, who studied Telecommunications Engineering at Adelaide while at St Mark’s from 2015-18, before completing a postgraduate degree in Applied Mathematics at Oxford as a Monash Scholar.
Amongst other things, Angus and Alex reflected on the value of community and the enduring nature of the connections they had made during their time at College.
Academic Coordinator Anthony Doll assembled an excellent panel of teachers for the Education Faculty Evening including Old Collegians Josh Phillips (St Mark’s 2018-2020), Luke Marcus (St Mark’s 2020-23), and Alicia McCully (St Mark’s2020-2022) as well as passionate history teacher and Churchill Fellow Elspeth Grant, and experienced Assistant Principal Jason Proud. All emphasised the importance of building and investing in relationships with staff, students, and mentors; looking after one’s own wellbeing; and making the most of opportunities for education, experience, and professional development. The speakers all offered helpful practical advice for preservice teachers and invited the students to visit their classrooms.
Our final Faculty Evening for Term 3 was organised by Academic Coordinator, Tara Phelps, for our Arts students on 11 September. Guests included clinical psychologist Tim Upsdell; music engineer and producer Lewis Wundenberg; social worker and researcher Dr Fatin Shabbar; film makers Ripley Hart and Mel Likouresis; and our very own brilliant Marketing and Communications Officer, Sarah Menz, who is also an occupational psychology researcher. Reflecting on their professional and creative practice, the guests all emphasised the critical importance of seeking out and saying yes to opportunities, establishing relationships and building connection with clients, and having a strong and consistent work ethic.
Speaking from Experience with Dr John Boully
Speaking from Experience is an informal discussion series at St Mark’s, where we invite staff, postgraduate students, and Old Collegians to come and tell us about something they have learned the hard way – through experience. Most recently, students were excited to hear from Old Collegian Dr John Boully, who was a student at St Mark’s in 1967 and 1968 while he studied medicine at the University of Adelaide. John has devoted much of his life and career to service as a practitioner and advocate for the improvement of Aboriginal health services.
In conversation with one of our senior medical students, Jasmyn Lloyd, who is the 2024 recipient of the annual John M Boully Scholarship for a rural medical student who has a particular interest in Aboriginal or rural health, John spoke passionately about his many and varied experiences working in rural and remote communities. It was a wide-ranging and “riveting” discussion that left our students with the perception that John’s was “a life with meaning and purpose” and eager to hear more! We look forward to having John back to the College again soon.
Student Achievements and Adventures
Gallipoli Scholarship presentation
For the second year running, outstanding University of Adelaide Bachelor of Science (Advanced) student Luke McKay was awarded a Gallipoli Scholarship. The Gallipoli Scholarship Fund provides financial assistance to the most deserving and meritorious Australian students who are the direct descendant of someone who has served in the Australian or New Zealand Defence Force in any conflict or peacekeeping role since the First World War.
Luke was invited to Canberra to attend a Last Post Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial’s Commemorative Courtyard before attending the scholarship presentation at Government House hosted by Their Excellencies General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd) and Mrs Linda Hurley (pictured below).
Luke is also one of our 2024 A. Simpson & Sons Scholars. The Simpson Scholarship was created from a generous endowment by Mr Antony Simpson (St Mark’s 1958-62), Honorary Fellow of the College, and is awarded annually on the basis of excellence in intellect, character, leadership, and service, to give recipients of the Scholarship the opportunity to attend the College. In addition to excelling in his studies and his other contributions to College life, Luke has been a driving force behind developing the College Choir this year.
Outdoor education
University of Adelaide Computer Science student Dino Macri is also a 2024 Simpson Scholar. He has certainly been demonstrating his leadership and service both at the College, where he serves as one of two Equity Officers on the College Club Committee, and in the wider community.
In May, he accompanied Year 12 students from Mount Barker High School on an outdoor education trip as their primary support driver. This trip was a precursor to their major self-reliant expedition planned for later in the year and the focus was on helping students develop their planning, campcraft and leadership skills.
Dino says that his own Year 12 Outdoor Education teacher “had an indelible impact on [his] life” and is the reason he is at University and St. Mark’s College today. He says, “I find great value in returning to share the lessons that I have learned with other students, who may be facing similar challenges.”
In July, he completed his training to become a Team Leader for Operation Flinders, an organisation that aims to transform the lives of young people through remote outback adventure programs. In September, he put this training into practice, leading Marryatville High School as Assistant Team Leader on an exercise.
Dino explains that “While my career choice of Computer Science may seem strange, when my love for the outdoors is so strong, I believe that these wildly different interests keep me energised and provide me a unique clarity about my life choices. Nature can be a magical way to recharge during a busy semester, whether it’s a short walk around North Adelaide, or a longer camping trip.”
APY Lands trip
Two of our second year University of Adelaide medical students, Jacob Deeb and Jasper Atkinson, recently travelled through rural SA/NT with the Adelaide Medical Students’ Society exchange program to the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands. This annual program is designed to expose Adelaide medical students to the reality of life in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities within Australia. The ten students who were selected for the program were split into two groups and travelled to two different communities within the APY lands, where they facilitated a school holiday program for the local children.
Jacob writes: “We began our travels to Alice Springs, which for most of the students, including myself, was a unique experience. This part of Australia is exactly how you would imagine it. Red plain, blue skies, and plenty of natural beauty. We arrived, not knowing what to expect, but cautious, given recent events of violence and community unrest that had occurred in town. But Alice proved to be a beautiful community of culture and showcased a great appreciation for the lands and communities around it.
“To get to our ultimate destination we drove on an off-road bus around 7 hours south of Alice. I spent my time at Kaltjiti (Fregon). Our contacts in the community were quick to caution us to lock the gates and double-bolt doors every time we entered or exited our homes.
“The next 6 days were an experience of a lifetime. Most of our time was spent with the kids, entertaining them with billiards, painting, musical chairs and the most loved of all, playing Australian rules footy.
“It was interesting to witness the day-to-day lifestyle of these kids in community. We’d start our program around 10:00am most days and it was common to see kids come with a chocolate bar for breakfast, or lollies to sustain them for the remainder of the day. Certainly, as future health professionals it was a shocking reality. In addition, many of the kids didn’t have shoes to wear and would consistently arrive with the same clothes they had on the day before. What was further concerning was the widespread use of cigarettes within the community, including by children. It was a completely different landscape to what we were used to. Some of these lifestyle decisions could most certainly be linked to resourcing issues and as a result the driven-up cost of fresh and healthy produce.
“We met some incredible individuals in the community and were lucky enough to explore some of the local lands, which were truly breathtaking. I encourage any individual has the opportunity to travel and be exposed to different regional communities within Australia to do so, for you might find that it could change your perspective on life.”
Lumps, bumps, and broken ribs
In Semester 1, senior medical student Jasmyn Lloyd completed 18 weeks of placement. Of her experience she writes:
“Surgery was my first full-time placement and I was lucky enough to do this placement with the Royal Adelaide Hospital Trauma Surgery team. The team was incredibly nice and always willing to teach us very naive and innocent fourth years.
“Our team was involved in most of the major traumas that occurred during that time. We saw everything from tractor vs farmer to elderly people who had a fall. There was a lot of broken ribs and bowel obstructions. These were the most common presentations we saw day-to-day. However, there were days when it felt like we were running from trauma to trauma. One of those days included seeing a female in a major car accident, a man who was run over by his own tractor and another man whose splenic aneurysm had ruptured. Educationally speaking, I was able to see signs that I had only seen in textbooks and be hands-on putting in catheters and cannulas.
“The two things that I found most beneficial on this placement were a) learning how to be on a medical team and how to be useful as a medical student and b) presenting patient cases with more confidence and knowing what was important to the consultants. After my end of semester OSCE and a short break, I will be diving back into another eighteen weeks of placement including psychiatry, muscle-skeletal, infectious diseases, and palliative care.”
Launching for the stars
First-year University of Arts student and talented artist, Mia Speed, will officially launch the children’s book she researched, wrote, and illustrated for her Year 12 research project in October! The book incorporates both English and Aboriginal Wirangu language, including translations, and is being published by the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF), with a second book already in the works. Congratulations on this impressive achievement, Mia!
