The South East graduating class of 2021 accept university offers in SATAC main round

School is out, results are in and now the South East graduating class has received their university offers. From ag to medicine, find out their plans for the future.

After years studying the wait is finally over for the South East’s class of 2021 as the main round of university offers are released in South Australia and Victoria.

Students from across the region performed in the SACE and have been rewarded for their hard work with some choosing to head off to university and others deferring offers for a well earned gap year.

See our exclusive searchable databases of South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre offers here.

Ella Jones

Naracoorte High School

Ella Jones being presented the Highest ATAR Award for 2021 by sponsor James Norcock of Westley DiGiorgio Norcock Solicitors and principal Kylie Smith. Picture: Supplied

Scoring an ATAR of 96.1 Ella Jones was named Naracoorte High School’s dux.

Ms Jones was thrilled to discover she had been accepted into her first preference to study agricultural science at the University of Adelaide.

Like many 18 year olds fresh from finishing school she now plans to take a gap year before heading off to Adelaide.

Ms Jones said she wasn’t too worried about university offers as she was keen to keep her options open.

“It’s not that I’m not sure what I want to do, I just want to try so many things,” she said.

“If I didn’t get into one thing I know I’ll find something that I’d like to do.”

Ms Jones’ parents were over the moon when they heard the news.

“(Dad) was pretty proud because he’s a farmer out at Lochharber,” Ms Jones said.

“He was super excited that I could potentially do something in ag.”

Having already done work experience with PIRSA, Ms Jones said she was interested in working in the research side of the agriculture industry.

But before she heads of to university Ms Jones will spend her gap year in Naracoorte enjoying time off from formal education and saving a bit of money.

Hayley Pearson

Tenison Woods College

Hayley Pearson will be heading off to Victoria to study at Deakin University. Picture: Supplied.

With an ATAR score of 94.4 Hayley Pearson has been accepted into Deakin University in Victoria to study a double degree in exercise and sport science and business (sport management).

The keen sportswoman said her involvement in swimming, tennis and netball had inspired her chosen career path.

With 10 years under her belt at the Blue Lake Y swim club Ms Pearson’s stroke of choice is butterfly — competing in both state and country championships.

Tenison Woods College graduate aims to work with high level athletes “helping them with their performance” somewhere like the Australian Institute of Sport or to work as a sport manager.

Having never lived away from home and with many of her friends taking a gap year, Ms Pearson said she was nervous to head off to Victoria to study.

“(I’ll be) staying on campus at the university in a college … it’s like a shared apartment with a few others,” she said.

“Once I get used to uni life and then city life I think I’ll be okay.”

Jemima Puust

St Martins Lutheran College

Jemima Puust plans on becoming a doctor with hopes of working in Mount Gambier or other rural settings. Picture: Supplied

Having seen the life changing work of doctors Jemima Puust hopes to study medicine at the University of Adelaide or Flinders University after taking a gap year.

Ms Puust scored an ATAR of 97.45 narrowly edged out for the title of St Martins Lutheran College dux by fierce competitor and friend Agnes Doyle.

Knowing she wanted to take a gap year Ms Puust decided to avoid splitting her attention between her SACE studies and the clinical aptitude test required to study medicine.

“I wanted to focus on my year 12 studies instead of trying to balance studying for the UCAT … I thought one would have to give and I didn’t want either of them to be let down,” she said.

Describing it as her purpose in life, Ms Puust said she was inspired to become a doctor after seeing how they had cared for her family.

“I’ve seen the way that doctors have changed the lives of so many family members and have been such a wonderful help and I want to help people in that way,” Ms Puust said.

“I want to be that person who can help them and tell them that it’s going to be okay or how they can live their life with whatever they’ve got.”

Though she will have to move to the city to study Ms Puust said she was a country kid and wanted to work in a rural health setting in the future.

“I would love to work somewhere country like Mount Gambier … country people are just a different kind of people,” she said.

Limestone Coast high schools were contacted to share their students’ success stories and any which would like to be involved can contact [e-mail]