​Jessie Smith

I knew from a very young age that I was going to be a Collegian – my grandmother attended MLC as a boarder in the 1920s.

I have great memories of lunchtimes spent with friends marvelling over Steve's incredible chocolate cake from the Café.

When the school outsourced catering, we refused to attend class and staged a "sit in" on the Great Court, a protest march down the drive, and made a documentary – we even made the front page of The Post.

While it was too late to reverse the decision, it was an example of the spirit of the College Community and the independence instilled in students to stand up for what they think is right.

Since 2005 I have been studying a combined Law/Arts degree, majoring in European studies at the University of Western Australia.

I became involved in the UWA Law Student Society committee, rowing with UWA Boat Club, Uni Camp for Kids and Uni Camp for Teens as a founding mentor.

A highlight has been winning the Australian Championships of the Jessup International Law Mooting Competition, the most prestigious law competition in the world. My team went on to represent Australia at the World Championships in Washington DC, where we were placed sixth.

For the last two years I have worked full-time as a professional legal research assistant to the State Solicitor for Western Australia, while finishing my degree part time.

I am completing my honours thesis on the liability of corporations for violations of international human rights law and hope to undertake a Master of Public Policy.

It is important to me to make the most of my opportunities and use them to benefit those less fortunate than myself.

The best advice I can give to someone striving to reach his or her goals is to maintain balance and be resilient.

If you fail in achieving a goal, don't give up. I've learned so much more from setbacks than successes.

On MLC: The day of the September 11 terrorist attacks, when I was in Year 9, my first period was with Mrs Hardy. Instead of teaching the scheduled class she spent the morning explaining, answering questions and trying to help the girls in the class understand the situation as it was unfolding.