By Brendan Rees
A perfect score in further mathematics has earned a former Berwick Year 12 student a prestigious state award.
Former Nossal High School student Xiurui Bai, also known as Ruby, was bestowed with a Premier’s VCE Award for her remarkable feat, which she said came as a “pleasant surprise”.
“Further maths is a very competitive subject and there are many top-performing students doing it, so I did not expect it,” she said of her perfect study score of 50.
Ruby, who is currently studying a commerce degree at Melbourne University, attributed her success to always trying her best and to make sure “that I won’t look back and regret not working hard enough”.
She said her teachers, whom she described as kind and supportive, drove her success and she gave particular thanks to her further mathematics teacher Mr Gould.
“I imagine it was equally challenging for him as it was his first year teaching further math, but he did a wonderful job.”
Ruby, who also took out dux of her class for 2019 with a perfect score of 99.95, said she chose varied subjects including legal studies and chemistry “to explore my interest and keep my career pathway open”.
She also said maintaining a school-life balance was also key to helping her overcome stress while working as a part-time tutor in her final year.
“I never found it necessary to study for long hours, thanks to the adult learning environment at Nossal. Unlike many other schools, Nossal trusts students to accelerate their studies freely.”
When asked how she was adapting to remote learning, Ruby explained it hadn’t been “too hard” as online learning days at Nossal High School had prepared her well.
“The only challenge for me is to manage my time well and stay motivated when I’m practically in my bed 24-7.”
Assistant Principal of Nossal High School Tracy Mackin said the school was “incredibly proud” of Ruby.
“As the 2019 dux, and the first Nossal High School student in the school’s short history to achieve a 99.95, Ruby’s work last year was obviously outstanding. She is a credit to the school,” she said.
