What is it like to attend Don College? In this article, Ella Jordan looks back over her two years at Don College and forward to her plans for the future.
So here I am at the end of year 12 looking back over the past two years. Throughout my time at Don College, I enrolled in a range of subjects. Some subjects I chose to allow me to complete my English and Maths ticks and others I chose due to interest in the subject and the knowledge which was going to benefit my future plans. Over the two years, I studied English 3, Maths General 3, Health Studies, Outdoor Education, Food and Nutrition, Photography, Sport Science and Sport Management. In year 11, I particularly enjoyed Health Studies and English 3. Health studies was an interesting and rewarding subject that provided me with some valuable background knowledge for Food and Nutrition in year 12. English 3, was a subject I surprisingly enjoyed which prepared me with skills such as essay writing, which I continued to use throughout the rest of my schooling year.
In year 12, I chose subjects that I thought would suit my personality. In the early stages of year 12, I decided that Sport Science wasn’t a subject that I enjoyed, so I made the decision to drop the course. This allowed me to have time to really focus on my other subjects. I particularly enjoyed Photography. Photography was something that I had much experience in, but I started to discover my real self through this subject. I felt that my end of year piece described me and the journey I had gone on to discover who I am.
The theme behind my artwork
Throughout this year, I have lived by the following quote which has helped me shape the 7 final pieces artwork which I have created:
“In our binge society, we consume thousands of pictures a day. Our visual diets largely consist of airbrushed, sexually gratuitous and elitist lifestyle imagery. This can leave us feeling hollow and inadequate, but the omnipresence of the images makes them inescapable. Social media has perpetuated our quest for perfectionism: whether its authentic or manufactured is unimportant. Validated by “likes” and addicted to “follow” we feed our egos, suppressing the increasing sense of vulnerability and anxiety that grows inside us.” (Gray, M)
I have based my work and my concept around self-love and the raw beauty of a human being which one often forgets. My main focus has been to manipulate the true features of the ‘models’ in my shoots by painting, drawing or using line art to disguise them as another personality. I believe in our society we may feel obligated to look, feel and act at a certain standard, but not for our own benefit. Our generation is very much caught up in ‘perfectionism’ and we go to great lengths to achieve this, which often results in forgetting our own self-worth. Growing up, I have had issues with being able to love myself and the skin that I am in. I often would find myself trying to change in response to other’s expectations, which soon resulted in anxiety, many insecurities and doubts. Losing myself has helped me to re-discover who I am really am and I hope that others who feel or have felt the same can relate to this through my artwork.
Plans for next year
I have big plans next year to move away to the mainland and study at university. I have applied to 3 universities, UTAS, Griffith and Monash to study either Nursing or Paramedicine. Ideally, I would love to be accepted into either Monash or Griffith to study either subject. I have a strong passion for health and well-being and I want to have a job that I enjoy and is rewarding. I believe either of these careers will live up to those expectations. At the same time, I have an open mind and am feeling optimistic about whatever the future holds for me.
Positives and negatives about my time at Don
Don College has been a huge learning experience for me. It has taught me who my true friends are, what I want and don’t want out of life and what really makes me happy. There have been many positives but also some struggles. One of the biggest positives for me was the freedom I had attending Don College. After transitioning from high school to college, I was given the freedom to choose a personal pathway which I thought was going to benefit me. It was up to me how much effort I would put in. Knowing that my freedom and the opportunities were endless, it encouraged me to do my best. However, the college also provided some of the most challenging schooling years for me. The workload increases, friends come and go, and I often found myself searching for an easy way out. The best advice I could give is to keep pushing until the end because your best efforts are going to benefit you in ways you won’t imagine. Focus on your own goals and you will be rewarded.
Ella