Year 12 students Vani and Giovanna reflect on their 15 years of education at the School, and how it shaped them into the fine young people they are today.

It is so surreal to think about my 14-year journey at Ivanhoe Girls’. Through spending the majority of my life here, I have learnt so much and taken away many important lessons from different stages of my life. 

I’ve learnt the importance of truly cherishing the connections that I’ve made during this time. People will always come and go, so I’ve come to realise how rewarding it is to stay connected to each other and embrace those strong connections. 

I also appreciate the teachers that haven’t stopped saying ‘hi’ to me around the School on the occasions we see each other. It is so special to see the Junior School teachers who’ve taught me basic life skills and helped me become the person I am today around the School; it reminds me of all the rewarding experiences I’ve had here.

From riding tricycles around at lunch in the Early Learning Centre to spending time with my friends on the couches in the Year 12 Centre, I’m so grateful for the life skills, memories and everlasting friendships I’ve made throughout my journey at Ivanhoe Girls’.

Vani Saxena
Year 12

When I tell people that I have never gone to another school apart from Ivanhoe Girls’, they often look at me quite surprised. “Don’t you get sick of it?” they ask. But my answer is always no. Having spent my entire schooling life here, from the Early Learning Centre to the Year 12 Centre, Ivanhoe Girls’ has become more than just a school - it has been a constant thread woven through every stage of my childhood and young adulthood. 

Some of my earliest memories are of painting at the ELC tables, playing with the little chickens who came in to visit us, and racing around the playground with friends who, to this day, are some of the most important people in my life. There’s something quite special about growing up alongside the same faces and I feel so lucky that we’ve had the opportunity to see each other change and grow all within the same walls.

As the years have passed, things have definitely changed. Our classrooms have become less colourfully adorned, our uniforms have changed from skivvies to shirts, and our conversations have moved from fairy tales to the scary questions of our future. Yet through it all, that same sense of warmth and belonging has never faded.

What I love most about being an Ivanhoe Girl from start to finish is the continuity – the way each milestone feels connected to the last. It’s strange and comforting all at once that the same place where I once built sandcastles is now where I’m undertaking exams. Not only has this school shaped what I have learned, but it has also shaped my memories, my community and me. Looking back on my time from ELC all the way to VCE, I feel incredibly grateful to have spent my entire journey here, and wouldn’t change it for the world.

Giovanna Presta
Year 12