2019 HSC first in course: Bankstown’s Andre Thomas says sacrifices paid off
Andre Thomas says his hard work and strict routine were the main reasons he topped the HSC results in economics.
The Express
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Sacrificing his social life and sticking to a strict routine proved the right path for St Euphemia College student Andre Thomas who came first in HSC for economics.
While the honour came as a surprise, the 18-year-old Moorebank resident said he had made a lot of sacrifices to get the result he had wanted.
In all 134 award winners were honoured by Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Education Minister Sarah Mitchell at the UNSW campus at Kensington on Monday afternoon.
Ms Berejiklian said finishing first in one of the 119 courses was an outstanding accomplishment.
“Six of the recipients topped more than one course, which is incredible,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“Congratulations to the 1449 students who received the All Rounder Achievers award this year, for scoring in the highest band in at least 10 units of study,” Ms Mitchell said.
Mr Thomas is also the school captain, having been at the Greek college since he started kindergarten.
‘I am delighted that I have achieved this because I was really strict with my routine and made a lot of sacrifices with my social life,” Mr Thomas said.
“I was surprised when I found out I was first in the course but having said that, I worked very hard for it.
“I love economics and have to thank my teacher Mr Padimatos who encouraged me a lot.
“I would love to do a degree in commerce at the University of Sydney.”
Mr Thomas, whose family are originally from Cyprus, last year topped mathematics unit 2 and 3 with the highest marks in his Bankstown school.
He had 99 out of 100 for unit 2 and 49/50 for unit 3, scoring above the Year 12 students that year.
“While studying for the HSC, I also had a very good balance with my football commitments at Bankstown United where I play for the NPL 3 team,” Mr Thomas said.
More than 66,000 students completed their HSC this year with 7500 studying one or more HSC courses throughout the year. Around 55,000 students are eligible for an ATAR which will be released this week.
■ HSC students who sat at least one exam will receive their results by SMS, email and online on Tuesday from 6am.