Luke Yerbury is a young man who appreciates numbers but even he didn’t appreciate a text message waking him up at 6am.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
That was until he realised it was his HSC marks.
“My phone wasn’t turned off beside me and I had it set to send me a text about the results, so that’s what woke me up,” he said.
“I didn’t actually wake up to check them, but that’s what woke me up.
“I sort of rolled over and was like ‘oh OK, that’s cool’.
“I had a smile on my face.”
Luke, 18, had good reason to smile.
The Maitland Christian School student achieved five band six results to place him on the 2014 All Round Achievers list.
The East Maitland student achieved results of 97 in extension one maths, 96 in extension two maths, 95 in chemistry, 94 in physics and 90 in advanced English.
Luke said he was happy that his hard work had paid off.
“I’m happy with how it turned out,” he said.
“I suppose when you put in a bit of hard work you hope for something, so I guess this is a bit of validation.
“I put in a lot of work, I suppose; I spent a lot of time studying nights after school and on weekends.
“The extension two result surprised me.
“It was a hard exam and there were a couple of pearlers in there.”
Maths and science were Luke’s two passions which he said he wanted to pursue next year and beyond.
“I really get a kick out of maths and science,” he said.
“I do enjoy physics, just because it takes everyday phenomena and explains them.
“I really like that rather than just accepting what is there ... actually finding out why something happens.”
All Saints College, St Mary’s Campus, Maitland students Azrael Cosgrove and Joseph Gurr joined Luke on the All Round Achievers list.
Fellow St Mary’s student Caitlin Wakefield made the Top Achievers list for business services.
A number of Maitland students also made the Distinguished Achievers list for receiving a mark of 90 or more in a subject.
Students who hope to go to university will receive their Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank this morning.