When Wes Clarke didn’t get the ATAR he’d hoped for at the end of Year 12, he didn’t let that stop him from achieving his dream to become a sport scientist.
"I didn’t really take year 12 as seriously as I probably should have and I realised I’d have to work hard to get where I wanted. So, I saved some money and moved to Melbourne where I got a job as a personal trainer. That’s really what lead me to apply for VU’s Bachelor of Sport Science – I wanted to learn more about how a human body works physically.
"I looked at courses at other universities but VU’s really stood out because of the quality of the teaching and I found the content more intriguing too. I was also really impressed by all the placement opportunities – with major sporting clubs – that are available through VU’s partner organisations.
"Towards the end of my second year in the course I was really fortunate to get an internship through VU at
Melbourne Victory Football Club as a Sports Science Cadet.
"I realised that opportunities like this don’t come around very often, so I worked as hard as possible during the cadetship and learnt as much as I could.
"Then I was offered a temporary job in the youth department at the club and eventually an opening for a sport scientist in the senior team opened up. That’s what I’m doing now.
"I’m in the position I’m in today because I didn’t give up on my dream, I worked hard and took advantage of every opportunity that came my way. I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else."