“I thought it was wrong,” the 18-year-old said.
“I was like, this is a mistake.”
Staring back at her was the number 99.05 — her ATAR score.
“I was surprised and just ecstatic,” she said.
“I’m very, very pleased and it was far beyond what I thought I was going to get.”
Phrynne needed an 86 to get into the course she wanted — a double degree in science and engineering — and was hoping for something higher than 90.
"I was trying not to have any expectations really so that I would be surprised,“ she said.
Her first phone calls were to her mum and dad, with her mother telling Phrynne she was about to start crying over the phone.
She started at Seymour College in prep and 13 years later finished as the dux.
In Year 11 she completed biology — with a score of 49 — and VET Allied Health, before finishing English, maths methods, physics and chemistry in 2021, with large numbers of classes online over the two years.
“Yeah, it was tough. I found online tough socially more than academically,” Phrynne said.
“I'm a pretty independent worker, so I just kind of kept going and like last year, especially, it basically gave me an opportunity just to focus almost solely on my Year 12 subjects.
“This year is just kind of relying on what I learnt about myself last year and just trying to stay on track. I probably handled it quite well compared to some others.”
However, she said it was still hard.
“I didn't get to have my birthday party, which was a bit of a bummer, but it kind of just showed me how school is for more than just education,” she said.
“When we finally got back to school, it was really good and it really helped to, like, be back and hanging out with people and actually able to be in a classroom and stuff.”
Seymour College principal Gail Hardman, who taught Phrynne in Year 1, said it was incredibly rewarding for her and the school community and she was proud of her result, as well as the entire Year 12 cohort, which recorded a 100 per cent completion rate in 2021.
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