Recently we had the pleasure of catching up and congratulating the Class of 2020’s Alex Turoczy following his acceptance into a Master of Computer Science program at Oxford University.
Throughout the course of his tertiary studies Alex would come across information about Oxford’s Masters program, but acknowledges that the first time he learned about it was at Emmanuel College, when fellow alumni of the Class of 2012, Liam Cain was accepted.
Gaining his first choice for study following his graduation from Emmanuel, Alex took on a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne majoring in Computing and Software Systems.
With opportunities continuing to expand in the space, Alex wants to keep his options open for the future, “If you think of big tech companies like Google and Microsoft, et cetera, they all have industrial research faculties all over the world. Universities also do. There’s also stuff like the CSIRO and the Military.”
While Alex is grateful to all his teachers, he particularly acknowledged the science and maths faculties, and highlighted the work of STEM teacher, Mr Nigel Bailey.
Going forward Alex hopes to continue working in research, and while not locked in on a particular area, he sees potential in pursuing fields such as Artificial Intelligence or Software Engineering.
Well done Alex!
Many of our Emmanuel family have been setting the alarm for all hours of the morning to watch the live cast of the Paralympics, to watch alumni Jaylen Brown and the Aussie mens wheelchair basketball team, the Rollers, take to the court and battle it out with the best in the world.
The Rollers’ campaign saw them ultimately come in at fifth place, with two wins from six games. While the teams campaign for a medal was ultimately unsuccessful, the games were full of great moments, and many due to the alum himself. Jaylen played a pivotal role (referred to by the media as the X-Factor), particularly when scoring 12 points and grabbing 7 rebounds in the team’s 82-75 victory over the Netherlands in the Playoff. However his standout performance came against Spain during the preliminary rounds, where he was well noted for his energy and determination, and scored 22 points for the Aussies.
Congratulations Jaylen!
The Class of 2023 aimed high during the preparation of their VCE final folios last year, earning two students some well-deserved recognition by being accepted and featured in State exhibitions TopArts and TopShots. With a diversity of themes and stylistic approaches on show each year, the exhibitions act as a wonderful source of inspiration for other budding art students and enthusiasts.
The TopArts exhibition, hosted by the NGV features outstanding artworks from students statewide who completed either Art Making and Exhibiting or Art Creative Practice as part of their VCE. Only 50 individual pieces are selected from a shortlist of 100, resulting in a collection that truly represents the curious, creative and innovative spirit of young artists, and an incredibly high standard on display for all current students to aspire to.
Making history for Emmanuel College, recent alumni Brydie Shields, was our first student ever selected in the exhibition’s three-decade history. Brydie says, “I feel quite privileged to be a part of it because, it feels like every year the standard just keeps getting higher. You can see the amount of work and the commitment that all of these artists have had to do.”
Each year the exhibition attracts VCE students currently studying Art from across the State looking for inspiration for their own projects. Brydie recalled her own visits to the exhibition in previous years with Emmanuel College and being impressed with many pieces, with one even giving her a starting point for what she wanted to do.
Brydie’s piece Mr Slugworth is a photographic series that looks to capture a feeling of retro youth. Using an older model bus that belongs to her aunty, and a friend as a model, she looked to technologies old and new to create the ultimate finish and style. The resulting compilation experiments with the space of the picture plane, by breaking a single view into fragments and repetitiously reordering them.
Mr Slugworth was Brydie’s final folio piece for Art Making and Exhibiting, a subject she admits was one her favourites from her time at school. She also acknowledges the support of Mr Gunstone and Ms Cummings throughout her VCE. “They would often challenge you, which in the moment I didn’t always love” she laughs, “but in hindsight was very helpful and I’m so grateful for.”
The TopShots exhibition is another annual showcase, this one specialising in exceptional photographic work, and this year featured the work of recent alumni, Noah Dawson alongside 14 other emerging photo media artists at the Museum of Australian Photography. His series, “Into the Darkness,” emerged from nocturnal excursions through the streets of Warrnambool, where he found the low light from lamp posts creating interesting textures. At the editing stage, Noah would focus in on one part of the image and distort it. As he continued to twist and warp the images, they would became unrecognisable from the original, allowing him to redefine the context of his work.
Noah drew inspiration from acclaimed photographers like Trent Parke, Bill Henson, and Jürgen Nefzger, but ultimately describes the work as finding “the hidden beauty of the unknown that lurks in the darkness.”
Reflecting on his journey, Noah acknowledges the invaluable guidance of his teacher, Ms. Cummings, who challenged him to step outside his comfort zone and push the boundaries of his craft. He shares with his peers, “Had it not been for Ms. Cummings, I wouldn’t have made it this far.”
Amazing work Brydie & Noah! We look forward to following your path going forward and wish you all the best.
As many of you may know, within the front east corner of the College grounds sits our Memorial Garden. Originally established in 2012, this garden is a quiet place of reflection where we remember staff and students taken from us too soon.
During Term 2 this year, the garden has been undergoing a makeover and now has a striking new centrepiece in place. The project has been a communal effort with the design provided by Chris Steel Design, Bamstone suppling the bluestone, Alderdice Foundry crafting the two brass crosses, and the Emmanuel College Grounds & Maintenance Team led by Jason Beveridge completing the garden works.
Together they have helped revive a truly beautiful tribute to passed staff and students, who although gone are not forgotten. A service is held at the garden each year on All Souls Day.
