Teachers are convinced great things lie in store for Andria Zanotto, which is why she was chosen for the 2019 Minister's Award for Excellence in Student Achievement.
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It's an award reserved for only the highest of high achievers in the state, and the Year 12 Murrumbidgee Regional High School student fits the bill perfectly.
Miss Zanotto is top of the school in nearly every subject, currently ranking first place for HSC physics, engineering, advanced mathematics, extension 1 mathematics, and advanced English.
"I try to stay on top of all my studies, and I was really pleased to get my final ranks back these last couple of weeks," Miss Zanotto said.
She's been an ace student ever since she enrolled at Griffith High School in Year 7, consistently ranking near the top of the class in all subjects.
On top of all her considerable academic achievements, Miss Zanotto has always thrown herself headfirst into sporting and community events.
She was captain of the NSW Country Girls Soccer team at Australia's National Youth Championships, captain of the Griffith High STEM team, winner of the Australian IIATE Aeronautical Velocity Challenge, and organiser of the Hay For Hope fundraiser for drought relief - just to name a few.
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Miss Zanotto attributes her achievements to her family, who have always encouraged her to succeed and have always led by example.
"I have always felt very inspired by my siblings, who wholeheartedly applied themselves during their schooling years, with the unwavering support of our mum, Maria," Miss Zanotto said.
"Our work ethic, motivation, and love of learning stems from her. Without her support and dedication to us, none of this, the ranks, the competitions, the Minister's Award, would have been possible."
Miss Zanotto plans to study engineering once she finishes the HSC, and she says she can look back at her time as a high schooler with no regrets.
"I definitely got the most I absolutely could out of it," she said. "I tried to seize all opportunities here, because there aren't too many opportunities for rural and regional students."
Year 12 adviser Erin McGreal nominated her for the award, and she said Miss Zanotto had always been the obvious choice.
"It was an easy decision to make and it was an easy application to write because she had a significant number of achievements we could brag about," Mrs McGreal said.
"There were lots of things I had to cut out to fit the word limit, because I could've written pages and pages about what she's achieved and the kind of person she is and why she deserves such a prestigious award."
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