Ayr State High School 2025 Valedictorian Sophie Robertson

Sophie Robertson graduated from Ayr State High School as the cohort’s 2025 Valedictorian, an honour she found to be both equally gratifying and a reflection of her invaluable support system.

Sophie achieved an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) of 98.65 and was awarded a Premier’s QCE Academic Commendation after achieving A’s in all six of her selected subjects; Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematical Methods, English and Legal Studies; where she was awarded a Subject Achievement Commendation for receiving the highest state result.

“Graduating as Valedictorian is a rewarding feeling; it's nice to have my hard work pay off, and it makes all the hours of studying worth it - however, it truly feels like a community effort, because I've had invaluable support from my teachers and family throughout this whole journey,” said Sophie.

Once Year 12 commenced, Sophie began studying for her end of year external examinations. Cycling through practice questions and crafting palm cards quickly became second nature to Sophie, and as Term 3 rolled around, Sophie placed her attention on the syllabus of each subject, revising notes and dot points to draw a comprehensive concept map.

“Concept maps were my best friend; they were a great way to summarise information and connect concepts, which was very important, because most A-standard questions linked different ideas together.”

Planning ahead was also integral to Sophie’s success. In anticipation for programs like the International Science School, Sophie would adjust her studying schedule accordingly, allowing her to balance her schoolwork with extra-curricular activities like taekwondo and cadets with ease.

Managing academic burnout also became a talent of Sophie’s, leading her put aside 15 to 30 minutes every day to pop out for an evening run and to use the resources around her to lighten her workload.

“I planned to finish my assignments one to three days earlier than they were due, but the best advice I can give is to use the resources around you,” said Sophie.

“There are countless exams to practice from; I even bought HSC (NSW) and VCE (VIC) practice papers, because more often than not, the content between the states overlaps - however, your most useful resource is inside the classroom; the teachers are more than willing to help, so don't be afraid to ask questions if you're not understanding the content or need some extra guidance.”

Sophie’s commitment to her academics never wavered, even throughout school holiday periods which she would spend studying or working on upcoming assignments.

“Maintaining motivation will be one of your biggest challenges,” she added.

“In the end, no matter what support others give, only you can motivate yourself, so make sure that you set an end goal (like a specific ATAR that you want to achieve), because that will drive you to the finish line.”

On the 19th of January, Sophie will travel to Canberra to commence a Bachelor of Aeronautical Engineering (Honours) at the Australian Defence Force Academy and in the future, she hopes to be working within the Defence Space Command.

‍

Sophie Robertson was congratulated as Ayr State High School's 2025 Valedictorian. Photo source: Ayr State High School

‍