Year 10 St Matthews Catholic Schools student Abbie Lincoln said time management was one of the main things she had taken from her whole experience but said every part of the program had helped make her a “happier, more positive” person. 

“It’s been really challenging but all in all it’s been a pretty great experience,” she said. 

While some of the activities she took part in during connect groups were “a bit weird”, Abbie said she realised that it was simply a way to get everyone out of their comfort zone and help them realise what they could achieve once they set their mind to it. 

Abbie said working with coach Susan Marte had been amazing experience and Susan was a really lovely person who was really interested in the journey Abbie was taking. 

“Max Potential as a whole has just been a great experience and I’ll definitely use some of the many things I’ve learnt with school, especially with the HSC next year,” she said. 

For her community service project, Abbie used her five years experience with the Gulgong Rural Fire Service to present a fire safety talk to kindergarten and year one students at Gulgong Public School. 

“It was something I planned to do from the very beginning because I knew what I was talking about and I had the connections,” she said. 

Abbie said she would definitely encourage others to find out what Max Potential could mean for them but she would give them a warning before they committed fully. 

“It’s really hard work. The program itself is really rewarding but there’s a lot of hard work you have to put in first,” she said.