Margo and her teammates – Georgia Courage-Gardiner, Kiera Gazzard, Carolyn Buckle, Zoe Poulis, Raphaelle Gauthier, Anastasia Kusmawan, and Milena Waldman – start their Paris campaign on August 5, 40-years after Australia’s first artistic swimming team competed at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games.

The 19-year-old from Melbourne embraced the motto ‘Brave not Perfect’ as a 12-year-old Ivanhoe Girl’s Grammar School student, and her experiences suggest she’ll be prepared for anything at the Paris Aquatics Centre if she remains true to that philosophy.

“When I was in year seven my school’s prefects introduced a motto to give the whole school a vibe for the year,” said Margo, who is studying engineering with aspirations to specialise in mechatronics (robotics).

“'Brave not perfect’ resonated with me because it was my first year of high school; the year I knew I was going to try a whole bunch of new things.  I think there’s always a tendency to feel as though you need to live up to the standard of perfection; try and always meet the expectations of someone else.

“But the downside to living like that is it comes with lots of risk because the fear of making mistakes can force you to limit yourself in not only the things you can achieve, but the new things you’ll try.

“I’ve always thought mistakes are an important part of life because without mistakes you don’t learn; don’t grow. If you try to never make mistakes, you’ll never do anything. So, for me, ‘brave not perfect’ encapsulates a good way to live life.

While her school’s alumni include an impressive list of female achievers, including Academy Award winner, Cate Blanchett, Joseph-Kuo nominates her mother, Besty Kuo, as her greatest inspiration.

“She’s an amazing person, and I’m so fortunate to have her as my mother,” she said. “If we’re looking at what my mum’s achieved, well, she’s Taiwanese but grew up in America [studied chemical engineering at John Hopkins University] and became an engineer.

“So, you have an Asian woman in engineering in the 1980s, and in a workplace dominated by men. But she’s phenomenal. She did great work, travelled to Australia where she met my father.

“Mum continues to excel. She’s moved away from engineering to follow her food passion by working as the CEO for the not-for-profit organization, Alex Makes Meals. They provide over 3000 meals per week for Melbourne’s disadvantaged.

“As CEO, she’s helped to expand their project. Everything she does seems to inspire me.”

Just as her school prefect’s motto shaped Margo approach to life, she also credits artistic swimming for instilling traits that have served her well.

“I think artistic swimming helped my studious learnings because it gave me the ability to overcome challenges, including my getting through Year 12,” she said.

“But now being at the Hancock Prospecting Artistic Swimming Australia Centre of Excellence program in Perth, I feel like I’ve learnt more life skills that help you overcome any number of challenges, managing my mental wellbeing, and making the most of a situation.”

Daniel Lane