School dux sets her sights on medicine

Great Southern Grammar is among the local schools with high-scoring ATAR students.

Twenty per cent of the cohort achieved an ATAR above 90, with 10 per cent scoring above 95.

The dux and highest-scoring student was 17-year-old Holly Rost, who was proud of her 98.5 result.

“I was very pleased with how I went in my exams and very happy with my ATAR score,” she said. “Getting the highest score at my school was exciting too.

“My result was my predicted ATAR but I still wasn’t expecting it, so it was great when the scores were announced and that was what I got. I couldn’t be happier.”

Principal Mark Sawle congratulated the class of 2018 for a solid set of results.

“These students made contributions to school life through leadership, spirituality, service, arts, sport and social justice and we are very proud of them,” he said.

“Winner of both the Audrey Jackson Medal for Highest Academic Achievement and School Dux awards, Holly ... is an accomplished student who dedicated herself fully to her studies.

“She achieved outstanding results in all of her courses while undertaking six ATAR courses of study.”

Holly is taking a well-earned gap year and will continue her studies next year, enrolled in medicine at the University of Western Australia.

“I want to be a doctor — that’s my ambition since I was in Year 9, I realised that’s something I can do and would love to pursue it when I finish school,” she said.

Her advice to students entering the WACE pathway this year is not to stress yourself out and to remember to enjoy your final year at school.

“Don’t stress yourself out, a couple of bad tests and scores aren’t going to set your path; don’t put too much pressure on yourself; and enjoy it, it’s a fun year and it is stressful but the end of it is worth it,” she said.