Christie to sit in on seats of power

By Sarah Schwager
A CRANBOURNE student will jet off to Canberra next month after being chosen as one of the winners of the Australia Day Study Tour awards.
Christie Dowell, a Year 11 student at Lyndhurst Secondary College, was rapt at being chosen after a tough selection process.
She will now take part in a day’s visit of local government in Narre Warren, a day visiting the Parliament of Victoria, and three days in Canberra to visit the Federal Parliament along with nine other Casey students.
Christie said she was really looking forward to visiting the House of Representatives and seeing how it works.
Christie, 16, was chosen by one of her teachers to write an application letter to council detailing why she wanted to do the tour.
She was then chosen for an interview and asked why she wanted to go, why she was interested in politics, and her involvements in the local community.
Christie said she had developed a passion for law after studying year 11 legal studies in year 10.
This year’s VCE subjects include English, Chemistry, Biology, General Maths, Maths Methods and year 12 legal studies.
Christie has spent much of her time volunteering at Courtenay Gardens Primary School and is part of her high school’s Student Representative Council, which has organised many fundraisers, including donating money to the Tsunami Appeal last year.
She is also an enthusiastic netball player.
Christie said she did not yet know what she wanted to do for a career but after the tour would be putting her head down and studying hard.
She said she realised law was difficult to get into and so was not keeping her hopes up.
Christie’s teachers at Lyndhurst Secondary College were very proud of her achievements and said that she was a very bright, enthusiastic girl.