Trinity College wasn’t always on the cards for Sophie Killalea, the self-confessed ‘country girl’ from Wantagong in NSW, about an hour north of Albury. Sophie had always planned on attending Queens College – the college of choice for most students from The Scots School in Albury, where Sophie was a boarder for her last two years of high school. But a gap year after finishing year 12 allowed for some introspection, and Sophie decided that Trinity was her place. And she has not been disappointed.
As an only child living with her parents on a working cattle farm, it made sense that Sophie became a ‘weekly’ boarder at Scots. As well as avoiding the five-hour round trip, Scots gave Sophie a ‘healthy friendship-building environment’ living with students of all ages from all types of backgrounds.
‘It gave me everything I needed from a country sense,’ Sophie said. ‘I didn’t have to go to the city to have a fulfilling schooling experience.’
Sophie thrived at Scots, immersing herself in all the activities the school offered – she was the wellbeing portfolio head and found time to play in the tennis, basketball, netball and AFL teams.
After finishing high school, Sophie felt at a loss as to her next step. ‘I basically had a bit of a moment after year 12 where I had no idea where I wanted to be.’
With life feeling uncertain, Sophie hedged her bets – she applied for and was accepted into the University of Melbourne, as well as the University of Sydney. She accepted her place at Melbourne Uni but deferred after deciding ‘it was in my best interest to take a gap year’.
Sophie then worked at an industrial plant nursery near her hometown for half the year, saving enough money to travel through Europe for three months.
The time also allowed Sophie to reassess her future. After visiting all of the Melbourne Uni colleges on an open day, she was drawn to Trinity. ‘The warm atmosphere of Trinity really pulled me in,’ Sophie said. ‘[On the tour] I was asked about my future aspirations … what I’d bring to the college.’ These questions hit home, and Sophie applied for Trinity with no back-up plan. Luckily, her gamble paid off and she was accepted.
Sophie said not knowing anyone was an appealing prospect. ‘I decided I needed to branch out … to challenge myself, put myself out there.’ She says it is the best thing she has done.
Sophie describes Trinity as ‘a whole other life that you couldn’t even imagine.’ She says the opportunities are endless – the extracurricular activities, the social events and everything in between. And there is the support network, where you are ‘surrounded by lots of people who care about you’.
Given her upbringing on a farm, it makes sense that Sophie chose a Bachelor of Science, majoring in agricultural science, at Melbourne University. Always interested in science, the appeal for Sophie at Melbourne Uni was the variety of classes she has been able to take – all of which contribute to her degree.
Sophie’s passion for science is evident as she talks about her volunteering work. She teaches the discipline to years 7–10 students through the university’s ‘Science Delivery’ outreach program – a program that she was selected for. The aim is to encourage high school students to attend university and study science. She fits this in amongst her Trinity social calendar, which includes being part of the Wine Cellar Society and the Racquets Society.
Sophie’s advice for anyone who wants to follow in her footsteps is to do it. She says that coming from a rural community to Melbourne can be daunting, but that at a place like Trinity, you will always be supported.
As far as career aspirations go, Sophie wants to be a lawyer. Yes, you heard right. Her ultimate goal is to work in agriculture as a corporate lawyer.
