First Person
How I used the summer before VCE to get a perfect ATAR
Christopher Tran scored a perfect ATAR has shared his secrets on what VCE students should – and shouldn’t – do to prepare for the gruelling final year of school.
- by Christopher Tran
Latest
‘I’d chat about the texts like they were gossip’: Five things that helped me get a perfect VCE score
Forget flashcards. Staying engaged in the lead up to exams is hard, and requires creativity and planning. These are the five tips that helped me get through VCE exams.
- by Abigail Gardiner
Opinion
Opinion
Thank goodness for Daniel Andrews, a politician with vision
Sure, he was far from perfect, but as premier Andrews showed courage. We need a whole lot more of that in our politicians.
- by Kerrie O'Brien
Opinion
Opinion
How I captured a monster’s confession and turned my pain into power
For almost a decade a man my family trusted sexually abused me. A child rapist and master manipulator, he fooled everyone. I hope one day it becomes easier for survivors to take down their abusers in Australian courts.
- by Zarisha Bradley
She was one of my dearest friends. Without a word, she ghosted me
In place of where there should have been the shared vocabulary of our friendship, there was instead an all-encompassing shame.
- by Elizabeth Day
Opinion
Opinion
Put awkwardness aside and break bread with those you disagree with
If I had restricted my circle to people whose world-view was in accord with my own, I would have deprived myself of some of the most important and stimulating experiences of my life.
- by Jon Faine
Opinion
Opinion
Taking offence has become a norm, but it doesn’t have to be like this
Amid the rise of cancel culture, we should all take a page from Pink’s book; don’t wake up offended.
- by Kate Halfpenny
Still grieving the loss of one twin, I went into early labour at 26 weeks
Having a baby prematurely has changed me irrevocably. It’s only now, two years on, that I can fully appreciate the magnitude of what we went through.
- by Lorna Gray
Only since her death have I started to understand my mother
I had been a liquid that took on the shape of the vessel that was my family, forged by a mother who had experienced untold trauma.
- by Anne-Marie Turner
The lightbulb moment that changed how I look at life
Guest writers celebrate the pivotal shifts that happen to us all: the moments when a thought, conversation or observation helps us solve one of life’s puzzles.
Opinion
Opinion
Last year I nearly died - it turned out to be the best of my life
I thought I was in a doughnut factory. I had a heavy Russian accent for a couple of days. I was a Japanese girl, aged 11. I had no idea I was badly injured and in a hospital.
- by Samuel Johnson
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/topic/first-person-1n32