HSC and ATAR results were released to Lismore students yesterday, marking a major milestone for Year 12 graduates after years of study shaped by COVID disruptions and devastating floods.

The Lismore App spoke to students from The Rivers Secondary College, who opened their results with a mix of relief, pride and excitement about the paths ahead.

Lismore High Campus student Retrouvailles Banza said she was proud of what she achieved.

“Yeah, I’m pretty happy,” she said. “I definitely would have liked something a little bit higher, but for the place that I am, I think I worked very hard, and I’m happy with the achievement I did.”

(Retrouvailles with her mother, who is also a teacher at the school.)

Retrouvailles has secured early entry into university and will study law through Southern Cross University next year. She plans to begin her degree online before eventually relocating to continue her studies. She was quick to acknowledge the people who supported her along the way.

“I’d like to thank my teachers and the support that I’ve gotten from the school, just the whole college has been great,” she said. “They really look out for you and try their absolute best to help you do your absolute best.”

Her advice for current Year 12 students was simple. “Listen to your teachers. Do the work, as much as you don’t want to, and just keep studying - a little chip off the block often.”

At Kadina High Campus, school captain Kieran Kelly said he felt content with his results and confident about what comes next.

“You get out what you put in, and I’m fine with it,” he said.

Kieran has early entry into university and hopes to become a teacher, driven by a desire to support others, particularly within the local Indigenous community.

“I’ve always strived to be a mentor or someone that others can look to for answers or support,” he said, adding that being captain helped him grow in confidence. “Being a captain really helped me come out of my shell.”

Executive Principal of The Rivers Secondary College, Christopher Randle, said the achievements of this cohort go far beyond their academic results.

“This group of students were in Year 7 during COVID, and then two years later, all of our campuses were impacted by the floods,” he said. “It’s a real indication of the resilience of our community, particularly our young people, to carry on and keep focusing on the future.”

Mr Randle emphasised that while HSC results can open doors, they do not define success.

“HSC is simply a point-in-time assessment,” he said. “There are multiple pathways now, and success is not measured by an HSC result. We’re very proud of the talents demonstrated by all of our young people across the college.”

Another Kadina captain, Kye Elliot, said receiving direct entry into university helped put his ATAR into perspective. Kye achieved a Band 6 in music and is now enrolled in a Bachelor of Psychology, with hopes of becoming a high school counsellor.

“Your ATAR is just a number,” he said. “Obviously, try your best, but if you get a bad one, don’t stress. There are so many pathways to whatever you want to do.”

Kye said having direct entry into university eased some of the pressure during the exams.

“Knowing that as long as I passed Year 12, I was into what I wanted to do definitely allowed me to sit back a little and take some time for myself,” he said. “If I didn’t have direct entry, I would have been studying non-stop.”

As the students step into the next stage of their lives, the message echoed was proof that success looks different for everyone, and that there are many ways forward.