Spotlight on the Class of 2025 - Rachel Zollo

She set clear goals at the beginning of the year for the ATAR and study scores she wanted to achieve, and set high standards for herself to be consistently organised and thoroughly understand and review the content.

Rachel was rewarded for her efforts with an ATAR of 98.55 and offered the following advice for current and future Year 12 students.

“Active recall actually works! Don't waste time re-reading your notes — instead, do the practice questions and papers that force your brain to understand and apply the content. Having a couple of days off study each week also worked for me, allowing time to refresh my brain and stay on track.”

Rachel believes that choosing to do her hardest subject (Mathematics) during Year 11, when the study load was less, took some of the pressure off in her final year.

Perhaps motivated by the support and time her teachers devoted to her success, Rachel has now chosen to pursue a Bachelor of Education (Primary and Secondary) at Australian Catholic University in 2026.

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