Stacy didn’t think she was a ‘science person’. Today, she topped HSC biology and chemistry

Stacy Zhang was once the junior high school student chatting in the back of science classes, uninterested in formulas and on the brink of failing her exams. That girl would be shocked to learn she is now the state’s top student in HSC biology and chemistry.

“I had no interest in STEM. I never used to be a science person at all,” the Roseville College student said.

But something shifted in year 10. Her school dedicated a term to each science elective ahead of students’ HSC subject selections, and Stacy found herself engrossed in the content.

“I realised what I was learning was actually really interesting, like, fascinating. I think the passion just grew from that,” she said.

When it was time to choose her HSC subjects, Stacy took a leap, enrolling in a “basically all STEM” course: physics, biology, chemistry, maths advanced, maths extension and English advanced.

It was a nerve-racking decision, and one she wasn’t sure would pay off. She started falling behind in her chemistry class – unlike her peers, she had chosen French, food technology and commerce in year 9 and 10.

Stacy said she got through her year 11 science studies by burying herself in the course material and constantly asking her questions in class.

Roseville College year 12 chemistry teacher Rhys Keirle said Stacy’s inquisitiveness was “a defining feature” of the incredibly hard-working and “meticulous” student.

“She wouldn’t stop trying to understand something until she got it deeply,” Keirle said. “The depth of knowledge she was seeking was really, really strong. And she kept pursuing that until she got it.”

Stacy said she set out to properly understand the courses in all their nuances, rather than simply memorise facts and formulas.

“I think it is very important because when they throw questions at you that you’ve never seen before, if you don’t understand the concepts you can’t just apply something you’ve memorised to an unfamiliar situation,” she said.

Once this happened, it was as if a switch flicked in her brain.

“Once I started understanding the concepts and exploring, I was quite curious,” she said.

Stacy enjoyed the health-related content and learning about the human body in biology, and seeing reactions in the lab in chemistry.

“I really loved all of it. It was just really fun,” she said.

Biology is the most popular HSC subject, excluding English and mathematics, attracting more than 20,900 students this year. Chemistry, alongside extension mathematics 2 and physics, is considered one of the hardest. To top both is an incredible and rare feat.

Keirle said the result blew him away.

“The fact that she did the double whammy with chem and bio is a bit unbelievable, to be honest. I am super, super stoked for her and very proud,” he said.

As for Stacy, the teenager is still in shock, struggling to reconcile the fact the girl who once viewed science as “nerdy” could go on to top not one but two of the HSC’s most rigorous subjects.

When Acting Education Minister Courtney Houssos called her to break the news, Stacy was confused.

“I thought it was a scam call or a prank,” she said.

“I didn’t even expect [to top] one [subject], let alone two. When she said bio, I was speechless. And then she said chem afterwards as well. It was so amazing. I started jumping up and down.”

Stacy hasn’t decided what to study yet at university – “probably something health-related in the STEM field” – admitting she still needs to complete her university preferences.

But she has clear advice for future students: “Don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. Don’t worry about what people think about you and don’t worry about other people’s judgment.”