I've always been particularly interested in the financial industry, even from a

young age. It has constantly intrigued me how banking and the whole industry
works and manages to earn returns for their consumers. After studying
Commerce/Economics at school through the accelerated program, it meant I was
able to focus a lot of time on those subjects and I developed a particular interest
for the subject. This interest and desire to be better at financial and economic
concepts would be suited to the industry, which itself is fast-paced and the key
to success is to be on the cutting edge.

I am really interested in:

Corporate Banking
Private Clients
Investment Banking
Asset Management

When being a cadet, it will be a challenge to deal with an unexpected result,

particularly a negative one. Being able to surround myself with people who may
have been in my position before, it will be an excellent environment to empower
myself and also to grow as an individual.
Also, another challenge that I will face will be the ability to handle rapidly
changing situations, which will be something I can readily apply to the
business/financial environment that being a cadet will offer. Furthermore,
another challenge will be to deal and cope with the stresses of such an
environment that evolves so quickly. These two are quite unique to the business
world as it moves so quickly, and everyone must keep pace

Being in part-time casual work at Coles Supermarkets (April 2011-February 2013)

has proved to be useful in handling with multiple requests from different parties.
Being part of a team providing frontline customer service, dispute resolution and
refilling and managing stock inventory proved to be vital to manage stressful
situations. It was useful as it allowed me to learn to be fast-reacting yet
complete, something that would be necessary in the business cadet programme.
In addition, it also proved to be useful in understanding how businesses were
operated, at a more micro level, but the experience was vital in showing how all
the small details such as accurate stock counting would lead to a greater impact
on the whole operation of the store.
Work experience at Greystanes Public School (August 2012) was definitely useful
in understanding the needs of true, emotional response. To be able to connect
with young children, especially gifted and talented students, it was necessary to
be passionate about what you were talking about, and also to be persuasive. This
would ensure the students were interested in what you had to say, which may be
different to what has happened before. Also, by being an assistant to teachers,
yet also a lot more approachable to students due to my age, it allowed me to see

the necessity of empathetic, yet assertive responses, where the student would
see that you legitimately connected with them, yet you would not move your
position. These would be useful in a business career, as you have to be
passionate in what you are doing and selling, otherwise clients will not be
interested and an empathetic approach will foster greater relationships between
the business and the client.

By being an active part of the Australian Army Cadets (AAC) at Baulkham Hills
High School (2009-present) has shown me how teamwork, especially when
working towards a common goal which everyone shares, allows for the synthesis
of solutions and suggestions that would not normally be created by an individual.
The power of a collective mind, where different avenues are explored by people
and discussed within the group allow for the creation of a nuanced approach
which provides can provide the best possible result. This would be extremely
useful in the financial services industry, where active participation in group
discussion would lead to a better approach to a problem, or a request from a
client.

Also being a member of the 2013 Mitchell Youth Leadership Forum, run by Alex
Hawke MP, Member for Mitchell, teamwork was heavily focused upon in various
activities from games, to community volunteering at a nearby retirement village.
It was clear how teamwork not only allowed for a better approach to problems or
challenges, but it showed how members of the team are able to support one
another through encouragement, causing individual members to do more than
what they thought they were capable of. This would be great in the financial
industry where positive encouragement can lead to better performance of
everyone in the team.

Teamwork within Grade Sport Teams (2009-2012) shows how a strong spirit can
lead to a desire to perform better and not let anyone down in the team, which
will be useful in a business setting where competitive spirit can cause everyone
to do better.

By being disciplined through training and skills developed from the AAC over the
years, and ending up being a senior leader within the unit, I would be proactive
in my own studies in my goal to better myself and to be a better cadet in my
field. With an already strong interest in Economics that has been throughout high
school study, I will be highly passionate about the work I will do as a Business
Cadet, as well during my studies associated with this program. Also, it would be
a great opportunity for myself to get involved and try my best in the business
world, and form connections and develop myself. It would be a delight to me to
be accepted for an interview, and I believe I can perform well in such a Cadet
programme.