Ali Bohn, The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper

Travelling three hours a day, five days a week for six years to attend secondary school in Echuca might seem more than a little daunting for many students, but for Harry Coughlan, he looks back on the last six years and feels that every minute of travel was worth it. The Koondrook local graduated from Echuca’s St Joseph’s College last year with a 95.3 ATAR score, affording him the opportunity to enrol and be accepted into his first course preference of bio medicine at the University of Melbourne.

Upon his graduation, Harry received a Department of Defence Force Award, as well as a certificate in recognition of his efforts from St Joseph’s College. His end of year results showed he had excelled in subjects such as biology, chemistry, English, specialist maths and math methods, although at the time he was studying, he had no idea just how capable his abilities were.

“I just really enjoyed the subjects and did the work, but I didn’t really think I was doing that well in them, not until I received my results,” he told The Bridge.

Harry began his primary education at Barham Public School, which he thoroughly enjoyed, and he says his hard work and dedication to his education is due to a supportive family and wonderful teachers.

He has not taken his natural skills for granted, keeping himself grounded with good friends and working on a casual basis at Barham Foodworks. His family has made sure his studies have not impacted too heavily on his taking time for himself, which he says has been extremely important.

“It’s important not to get too burnt out, putting all your attention on studying,” he says.

Still a little surprised by his results, Harry has some advice for students going into their senior years of education, who either have no idea which career path they would like to take or for those who have their heart set on only one area.

“I think it’s important to follow your interests. We all have subjects we enjoy more than others. When I was looking for courses to study, I looked at where my strengths and interests lie and that’s how I came up with bio medicine. I would say not to dedicate your whole life to being set on one thing, because there will always be something else, so keep your options open. Remember to keep catching up with friends and if you are into it, play sport, just don’t stretch yourself too thin.”

Just as Harry is about to leave, he casually mentions that he has accepted two scholarships to coincide with his course. One from the University of Melbourne and the other from St Mary’s College, where he will be residing, to assist with his living costs.

Once he has completed the 3-year course, Harry looks forward to a career in medical research.

“I have no concrete plans, so we will just have to see how it goes.”

We wish Harry all the very best with this exciting new chapter in his journey.

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 19 January 2023.