For Rachel Hauenschild of Kenmore State High School, this academic year has certainly been a banner year.
For her outstanding academic achievements, Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) named her as this year’s recipient of the Outstanding Academic Achiever Award, during recognition ceremonies honouring the top-performing senior school students.
As one of the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) Achievement Award winners, Rachel shared her story, plans, and career goals in a QCAA interview following the announcement of winners.
When asked about how she balances her studies with other activities, she said that her secret is to “Be selective and then plan your time effectively to fit everything in.”
Rachel also proves the importance of having a supportive family and strong self-motivation.
“I’m inspired by my parents, who have always motivated me and supported me throughout my schooling. I’m motivated by my desire to achieve the best results that I possibly can,” Rachel said.
She also shared that “…the best piece of advice that I’ve received about school is to always pursue subjects that you’re interested in because it will be more enjoyable and it will work out well in the end.”
Things have certainly worked out well for Kenmore State High School’s Outstanding Graduate, who has been accepted in the Bachelor of Mathematics program at the University of Queensland this year.
“I’ve always had a passion for maths, so I decided that I wanted to pursue this at university,” Rachel said.
Education Minister Grace Grace lauded the 2017 Year 12 cohort of Kenmore State High School as the largest ever to graduate statewide. From approximately 53,000 Queensland students who completed Year 12, 32 students have been recognised for achieving the highest academic marks. Considering the number of last year’s graduates, Ms Grace said that the QCE Achievement award winners should be very proud of their achievements.
Rachel, being 2017’s overall Outstanding Academic Achiever, received a certificate, trophy, and $5000 prize money.
“She achieved exceptionally highly in all her school subjects, the Queensland Core Skills Test, tertiary entrance ranking, and in two university subjects and will pursue her passion for mathematics at The University of Queensland where she has a scholarship,” Ms Grace said.
“I look forward to hearing Rachel’s name associated with many more achievements in the future,” she added.
Other Awardees
The QCAA hosted the QCE Awards at the State Library in South Bank, where 32 students from 20 state and non-state schools received prizes in six categories.
| Category | Awardee/s | School |
| Outstanding Academic Achiever | Rachel Hauenschild | Kenmore State High School |
| Highest Achievement by an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Student | Lucinda Colbert | Forest Lake State High School |
| Highest Result on the Queensland Core Skills Test | Stuart Moss | Brisbane Grammar School |
| Highest Achievement by an International Student | Cheng Zhang | Brisbane Grammar School |
| Highest Achievement in the International Baccalaureate | Thomas Wu | Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technology |
| Distinguished Academic Achievers | Louis Backstrom | Brisbane Grammar School |
| Aditya Chilukuri | Brisbane State High School | |
| Esther Cho | Helensvale State High School | |
| Patrick Cummins | St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace | |
| Rupert Dwyer | St Peters Lutheran College | |
| James Dyer | Anglican Church Grammar School | |
| Jade Eldridge | Mueller College | |
| Jasmine Elliott | Toolooa State High School | |
| Joshua Grice | Brisbane Grammar School | |
| Daniel Harness | Brisbane Grammar School | |
| Liam Harris | All Saints Anglican School | |
| Rachel Hauenschild | Kenmore State High School | |
| Jina Hong | Somerset College | |
| Phillip Huynh | Brisbane State High School | |
| Kenton Lam | Varsity College | |
| Saki Maehashi | Brisbane State High School | |
| Yan Messoussa | Brisbane State High School | |
| Kelly Park | Somerset College | |
| Joshua Pelach | Smithfield State High School | |
| William Price | Townsville Grammar School | |
| Connor Ryan | St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace | |
| Patrick Sharkey | St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace | |
| Ryan Taylor | St Laurence’s College | |
| Sophie Tomassen | Varsity College | |
| Ruby Turner | St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School | |
| Callum Waite | St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace | |
| Lilia Walsh | Trinity Anglican School | |
| Daniel Walton | Hillbrook Anglican School |
For information on the awards criteria and prizes, click here.
The QCE Achievement Awards are sponsored by The University of Queensland, Bond University, Griffith University, Queensland University of Technology, and University of Southern Queensland.
