Dux delight, dental ambitions and Dune: Meet Shepparton’s top graduates

By Taylah Baker

Dec 12, 2024

**The hard work and dedication of Shepparton students Liam Ross, Manjot Rana, Emilia Chrys and Sarah Abdulamir has truly paid off.** Photo by Megan Fisher

School is out, life is good — and Goulburn Valley’s academic aces have their dux in a row.

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Emelia Chrys from Notre Dame Secondary College leads the charge, securing an outstanding ATAR of 98.8, the highest in the Shepparton region.

Emilia’s disbelief was palpable, having just heard the news and raced to join the region’s fellow duxes for interviews and photos.

“At the time, I was watching the new Dune movie because it just came out on Netflix today,” she said.

“I went to check my phone and was shocked because I thought I would get a lot lower.

“I’m either going to go to uni or take a gap year, but I haven’t decided yet.”

One thing about Emilia’s future is sure: she will watch the rest of Dune: Part Two.

Just as thrilling as a sci-fi adventure, St Anne’s College in Kialla celebrated a significant milestone this year, witnessing its first-ever graduating cohort.

Among them was the school’s inaugural dux, Manjot Rana, who achieved an impressive ATAR of 84.5.

“It was unreal, and knowing that it’s a brand-new school, and I’m now in the record books, it’s pretty crazy,” he said.

With ambitions of studying dentistry at La Trobe in Bendigo, courtesy of an Aspire scholarship, Manjot shared advice for future graduates preparing to sink their teeth into VCE.

“Just do your best, in my opinion,” he said.

“At the end of the day, as long as you get into the course, it really doesn’t matter what ATAR you get.”

**The excitement in the air was palpable as Sarah Abdulamir, Liam Ross, Manjot Rana and Emelia Chrys shared their ATAR scores.** Photo by Megan Fisher

Courses such as medicine require a high ATAR, and for many, their scores can be a bitter pill to swallow; however, Sarah Abdulamir is not one of them.

With an ATAR of 98.55, Sarah, the dux of Goulburn Valley Grammar School, hopes to study medicine next year.

“I guess all my studying paid off,” she said.

Sarah’s advice for next year’s students?

It’s all about balance.

“Just have fun with it,” she said.

“Make sure that you’re still socialising, doing all the extracurricular activities that your school is offering, and that you’re not too stressed.

“In the end, it’s going to happen, and it will work out.”

Liam Ross from Shepparton Christian College faced a moment of doubt when he believed he had “bombed out” on his physics exam.

But those worries quickly faded when he learned he was named dux with an ATAR of 92.65.

“Hearing I received dux made everything better,” he said.

Liam intends to use his gap year to gain valuable experience at a local engineering firm, serving as the foundation before he starts studying engineering at university.

As Liam, Emelia, Manjot and Sarah woke up, greeted by the news of their ATAR results, Matthew Hanns simply said, “Buongiorno”.

The Greater Shepparton Secondary College student is currently in Italy for the GSSC LOTE trip and has been named the school’s dux, achieving an ATAR of 98.1.

Even more exceptional, this is Matthew’s second consecutive year as dux, having completed a three-year VCE pathway.

Now, the eraser dust has settled, school uniforms are stored away never to be worn again, and this year’s top students step into their next life phase with high scores and high hopes.