The future looks bright for Woonona High School graduate Jaida Way, who has won a generous University of Wollongong scholarship.
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Jaida has received the UOW Vice-Chancellor's Leadership Scholarship, which will provide her with $30,000 per year during her undergraduate degree, as well as other opportunities such as leadership training, mentorship, and professional development.
Jaida said she could not believe the news when she found out.
"I just kept saying 'thank you'," she said.
She will study a Bachelor of Pre-Medicine, Science and Health, with plans to later study a Doctor of Medicine.
Jaida said medicine combined her love of science with helping people, and at this stage she hoped to become a paediatrician.
"I've always loved working with kids, and my mum's always made comments about how kids are drawn to me," she said.
Jaida is also celebrating after receiving her HSC results this week, scoring the top band possible in legal studies, biology and extension science.
"I'm really happy," she said.
Sitting alongside her on the HSC distinguished achievers merit list are Darby Walsh and Vienna Pisana, whose marks in visual arts landed in the highest band possible
But Darby and Vienna are yet to even enter year 12 - they took visual arts as an accelerated program.
Vienna's major work comprised of oil paintings of her sister and her friend, while Darby did a series of seven artworks depicting different aspects of the life of her grandmother, who has Alzheimer's disease.
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Vienna said she did not expect to get such high marks, but was "very happy" to find out she had.
"I felt like after the year of work I put in, I kind of deserved that mark," Darby said.
But a career in art is not on her cards - she said she was looking at something in the astrophysics or psychology fields.
Vienna, however, has not ruled out art as a possible career path.
"It's an option - I don't know what I want to do yet," she said.
Search the full list of the Illawarra's distinguished achievers below
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