Gunnedah local Josh Guest scores high ATAR after HSC at Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School

The hard-working 2020 graduate received a 97.6 ATAR, and was named Dux of the Tamworth school.

Josh studied Extension 2 Mathematics and achieved scores of 98 per cent and 93 per cent respectively in the Extension 1 and Extension 2 papers.

It didn't come easy, though.

While maths has been his favourite subject since he was about five-years-old, Josh was revising for his subjects for about five to six hours every day during his peak study period.

Read also:

As a result, he now has a whole new future ahead of him, after being named the recipient of two scholarships.

The first, a half-scholarship worth $50,000 over two years, has him moving to the Gold Coast this week to get ready to study a Bachelor of Actuarial Science at Bond University.

Josh was aiming for an ATAR of 92, as this was the minimum needed to be awarded the scholarship.

"I didn't think I'd get a 97," he said.

Want a say? Click this link to send a letter to the editor.

Josh told ACM he starts his two-year accelerated degree next week, but wanted to leave earlier before the border closed.

"I start next Tuesday ... I'm nervous but excited," he said.

"It's pretty scary that I'm leaving [Gunnedah] but I'm really excited to move on and go study."

He also heads to the Sunshine State with the Susan and Isaac Wakil Foundation Scholarship up his sleeve.

The $11,000 scholarship comes from the Public Education Foundation, and provides financial assistance to high-potential students in Year 12.

"I get it in increments. $5000 for the first year, $3000 for the next and $3000 after that," Josh said.

"[The scholarship] helps students like me to achieve goals and go through uni."

He'll be using the funds from his scholarships for on-campus accommodation, textbooks, and for an iPad, which he said he needs for his classes.

Once he finishes his degree, he hopes to become an actuary.

"It's someone who works in the insurance industry and someone who assesses the risk of real-life situations and puts a price on insurance," he explained.