蜜桃TV鈥檚 College was delighted to welcome the Class of 2024 back to the school grounds following the release of their HSC results.
2024 College Captain, Gabrielle Varnakulasingham, said it felt good to pass another milestone in a momentous year.
鈥淚 feel very relieved that the final HSC event is over now and that we鈥檙e onto the next chapter of our lives,鈥� she said.
Gabrielle achieved an ATAR of 89, and is a Distinguished Achiever, having earned 46/50 in the challenging History Extension course. She has been offered an early entry place for an International Studies degree at UTS.
Gabrielle said the support she received from her teachers was important to her success.
鈥淭he HSC is definitely a lot, particularly with my captaincy commitments, but the teachers here supported me in making sure I was able to do everything well. I think the biggest challenge was making sure I was having fun at school as well as working hard. The College really understands who each of us are as people and I鈥檓 really grateful for that. Our year group was really close and that helped in making sure we made memories and supported each other with HSC study.鈥�
Also inspired by 蜜桃TV鈥檚 College teaching staff was Alexa Margaritis, another Distinguished Achiever who received a mark over 90 in Mathematics Standard 2 and Studies of Religion II. She toyed with the idea of pursuing a career in primary education, however, she has been accepted into an occupational therapy course at the University of Western Sydney, which she feels would be a better fit.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited about occupational therapy because it鈥檚 so broad,鈥� she said.
鈥淵ou can end up doing anything from supporting someone to improve their handwriting to helping people in the justice system with rehabilitation so they can go back to their regular lives after prison. I also like the fact that this career is something I can do in Australia or it can take me overseas.鈥�
Alexa said students who have not been at the top of their class throughout their schooling need not despair about the HSC.
鈥淔rom Years 7 to 10, I would say I was just an average student, but I got the spark in Years 11 and 12 and when I started working really hard, it showed and I started getting results,鈥� she said.
鈥淚 never thought I鈥檇 be able to get great marks the way I have, but I think the combination of a little bit of stress and wanting to do well gave me the motivation to focus and put the effort in. I started talking to teachers more about my work, started putting my hand up more in class and putting in the study hours. One of the best things was the teachers running HSC workshops after school and in the holidays. They gave me a lot of reassurance that I was on track and studying all the right things, particularly in Chemistry, as it鈥檚 a challenging subject.鈥�
Part of what made our students successful in the HSC was their understanding of their own interests and how they learn best.
Emily Moore, who earned an ATAR of 91.7, was involved in the College鈥檚 cocurricular History Club, Knitting Club, Peer Support, Book Club and Choir. She said these opportunities helped her recognise her strengths. She is planning to undertake a Bachelor of Arts at the University of New South Wales, with a major in history and a minor in politics.
Her advice to future HSC students is to prioritise habits that support good mental health.
鈥淚 would set time limits for myself to finish with a certain task or unit of work. It helped me to keep everything on schedule and to also have boundaries around study and rest times,鈥� Emily said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 such a long break ahead of the Trials and it can be hard to stay motivated, but you鈥檝e got to just keep your eye on the end goal.鈥�
Stephanie Elasi, who earned 95.85, one of the highest ATARs in the cohort, and is a Distinguished Achiever in four subjects, agreed that doing things outside schoolwork was part of the secret to her success.
鈥淚 have a very big family and we have a lot of functions,鈥� she said.
鈥淭wo days before my Maths exam, I had a wedding, and I returned home from the destination wedding on the Sunday night and sat the exam on the Monday morning. I didn鈥檛 want to give up going to weddings and birthdays and other celebrations because being with my family is important to me. I felt like taking breaks to be at events with my loved ones gave me the rest I needed and made my study time more effective.鈥�
Stephanie said her technique for remaining efficient was to create a daily schedule that dedicated a few focused hours to a specific subject.
鈥淚 would set a time limit, put aside a small amount of time each day to achieve something specific, like write out my textual quotes for English. Since I would struggle with sitting down to write a full essay, I鈥檇 choose a question and write out the essay plan instead, and then review it with my teacher or a friend to make sure I was on the right track with it.鈥�
Stephanie has not yet narrowed down her university preferences, but has applied for courses in architecture, education and sociology. Her academic highlight for 2024 was completing a 5,000 word research paper in Society and Culture, for which she was awarded a HSC mark of 94. Her topic looked at the progression of feminism over time, the Westernisation of the movement and the intersectionality of feminism with race, ethnicity and gender identity.
Stephanie said she will miss the community at the College.
鈥淭he best thing about coming to the College is the people. Our year group was so strong and close. People talk about, 鈥極nce a St Pat鈥檚 girl, always a St Pat鈥檚 girl鈥� but it actually is true!鈥�