AN INSPIRATIONAL young student is proving that it does not matter where you have come from, it only matters where you are going.
Baher Maher, a student from MacKillop Catholic Regional College, earned the prestigious title of school dux after a year of hard work and exams.
Originally from Egypt, Baher only came to Australia two years ago.
He said the most difficult thing was getting the hang of the Australian twang.
“It just took me a while to get used to the accent,” he said.
School principal, Rory Kennedy, said Bahar was a “model student”.
“He really has embraced the College and embraced the Australian culture too,” Mr Kennedy said.
“This really shows what you can achieve with sheer hard work.”
While the school and Baher chose not to reveal his exact score, they did say that it was likely it was one of the highest in the State.
Baher said he was still coming to terms with his impressive performance.
“I was in a state of shock when I found out and it’s only just started to settle in,” he said.
“My parents were absolutely delighted and ecstatic.
“They were more excited than me I think.”
Baher was also excited to receive an excellence and equity scholarship from Monash University.
The dedicated student said he would like to study a double degree in engineering and pharmaceutical science.
He also had a parting word of wisdom for future VCE students. “It’s very important that you don’t just dedicate your life to study or your brain will fry,” he said.
