‘Everything about me has changed’: Heidi Bromley’s turnaround from troubled teen to one of the best maths students in NSW

Heidi Bromley didn’t go to school for eight months after she was expelled from an elite girls’ college. How she turned her life around is an incredible and inspiring story.

Heidi Bromley will finish her HSC this year having already ranked among the best mathematicians in NSW, a feat made all the more extraordinary by the fact she was kicked out of her last school.

In a candid interview, the 18-year-old made no secret of the fact that she did not leave her high-profile all-girls private school on good terms, before ending up at Naremburn School – a small public school for students with severe behavioural or emotional issues.

“(When) I ended up here in 2023, I hadn’t gone to school for roughly eight months,” she said.

“(The school) didn’t have the resources for me and … at the end of it, I got asked to leave.”

Heidi was a self-described “mess” when she was accepted into Naremburn. Less than two years later, the troubled teen had not only completed but excelled in two of her five HSC subjects, ranking 7th in the state in Standard Mathematics.

Despite facing some of the toughest challenges a teenager could go through, Heidi is on track for high marks in the HSC and hopes to be accepted into a criminology degree at university. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“Even with all my behaviour issues … no matter what I did, no matter how much I tried to push them away, (teachers at Naremburn) just supported me,” she said.

“They showed me that … I have so much potential, and I can do whatever I put my mind to.

“That’s how like I achieved what I achieved last year, and what I hope to achieve this year is because of them.”

“Even with all my behaviour issues … no matter what I did, no matter how much I tried to push them away, (teachers at Naremburn) just supported me,” she said.

“They showed me that … I have so much potential, and I can do whatever I put my mind to.

“That’s how like I achieved what I achieved last year, and what I hope to achieve this year is because of them.”

Heidi Bromley is one of three students completing their HSC at Naremburn, a special school for kids with severe behavioural issues on the north shore. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

In the upcoming exam period Heidi will tackle her final three HSC subjects – English, Legal Studies and Society and Culture.

Diagnosed with a progressive neurological disorder called Friedreich’s ataxia at the age of the 12, Heidi was motivated by her own experience to investigate how various generations perceive and treat people with disabilities in an extensive research project.

In her own life discrimination has taken many forms, she said, from “slurs and very vocal comments” from peers to older people “(appearing) more uncomfortable around me, not really knowing what to say, and (giving me) weird looks”.

Friedreich’s ataxia is a rare genetic condition that affects an estimated one in 30,000 Australians, and causes damage to the nervous system impairing their balance, co-ordination and muscle strength.

Heidi was forced to give up playing softball and netball at 14 years old, and is now unable to walk independently.

Yet “everything” about Heidi – her confidence, her ease in herself – “has changed for the better”, she says.

“I’m not anywhere near as judgmental as I was, I’m so much more accepting,” she said.

Heidi Bromley is completing her HSC over two years, as a special school for kids with behavioural problems called Naremburn in the north shore. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“I can’t even describe what I was like before, what my life was like before … I couldn’t tell you one positive thing about my life, my headspace, (or) my relationships with my friends and family.”

New medications and her own aspirations to study law and criminology at university next year offer even greater hope for the future, too.

“When I came here everything shifted, not even (just) academically, but how I saw the world … to know there was genuinely nice people in the world that would support me, and … didn’t have anything to gain or benefit from that.”

Naremburn assistant principal and year 11-12 supervisor Larissa Caillat said Heidi’s journey “has been nothing short of remarkable”.

“It’s a testament to her resilience, determination, and the power of a supportive environment,” she said.

“Mainstream schools can be wonderful environments, but they’re not always equipped to support students who are navigating complex personal challenges.

“Heidi found a place where she was seen, supported, and believed in – sometimes before she even believed in herself.”

Originally published as ‘Everything about me has changed’: Heidi Bromley’s turnaround from troubled teen to one of the best maths students in NSW