ASHS’ 2023 Valedictorian Chelsea Scalia By Chelsea Ravizza

In November of last year, the class of 2023 celebrated the conclusion of their high school careers and began the next chapters of their young-adult lives. For Ayr State High School Valedictorian, Chelsea Scalia, this meant celebrating her outstanding 90s ATAR score achievement, and accepting an offer to enroll in a Bachelors of Speech Pathology at James Cook University.

With the responsibilities of being Ayr State High School’s School Captain, holding a part-time employment position, and maintaining social commitments, Chelsea was grateful she set herself up for success from year 10 in creating a suitable study routine she felt confident in.  

“You need to learn how to manage your time well and have a social life to avoid burning yourself out,” explained Chelsea.

Chelsea’s study routine involved acknowledging and understanding her own abilities to maximize productivity without exertion by prioritizing time spent inside the classroom and following up with daily revision and study at home in the hours before dinner.

In the time leading up to final examinations, Chelsea restructured her study routine to ensure she achieved her desired results, and found the ultimate formular, social study.

“It was good to sit with my friends and have a chat about something completely different in-between my studying because when you’re studying and grinding non-stop, you get over it,” explained Chelsea.

“Then you’re doing the same thing when you get home, and you’re by yourself, so I would always chat to my friends and try to study differently.”

Chelsea believes each student should begin exploring all their potential interests from the beginning of their senior schooling (year 10) to ensure they are able to confidently make the right career choices for themselves when the time comes. Chelsea took advantage of all opportunities presented to her to gain industry experience, and undertook work experience periods in the Burdekin, Townsville, and Brisbane of varying pathways.

Subject selection begins at the conclusion of year 9, and although Chelsea didn’t know at the time what degree she wanted to pursue at university, she chose her senior subjects accordingly to keep all doors open.

“I knew I wanted to go to university, so I chose subjects that led me in that direction, and I made sure I did as well as I could in grades 10 and 11 because that only sets you up for success in year 12.”

In leaving Ayr State High School behind as she embarks on her tertiary education journey, she believes she’ll miss the friendships with classmates and teachers dearly.

“The lunchtime conversations and the silly comments in class will be what I’ll miss the most, and also all the teachers because they’re always there to help you regardless, even if it’s not about school, just supporting you in all aspects of life,” explained Chelsea.

Chelsea will commence her 4-year degree program from 29 January, where she is eager to immerse herself in studies focused on her future career prospects and experience all the independence and personalized learning university entails.

‍

ASHS 2023 Valedictorian Chelsea Scalia. Photo supplied

‍