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Meet Amelia Grace, the smartest kid in Queensland
THOUSANDS of Gold Coasters will start university on Monday, including the Southport teen who was named Queensland’s smartest high school graduate.
Amelia Grace, 17, who graduated from Trinity Lutheran College last year, was lauded as the smartest kid in Queensland, beating out more than 51,600 other students.
“It was definitely a shock, I wasn’t really expecting it,” she said.
“I’m about to start a Bachelor of Engineering at Griffith University ... I really enjoy problem-solving so I think it will be a good fit.”
Education Minister Kate Jones named the state’s top 34 academic achievers, with nine hailing from Gold Coast schools including All Saints Anglican School and Somerset College.
Local universities are preparing for one of the biggest intakes ever with Bond University expecting its largest cohort in a decade.
New figures are also showing an increase in internation- al students at all three Coast universities.
Karen Andrews, Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Skills, said this was good news for the Gold Coast.
“In Queensland, the number of international students rose by 8.7 per cent in 2016, with all universities recording an increase in their international numbers, including Griffith and Bond on the Gold Coast,” Ms Andrews said.
China accounted for 27.5 per cent of international students, with India providing 11 per cent followed by the Republic of Korea and Thailand with 4.3 per cent each, and Vietnam with 4.2 per cent. Both Bond University and Southern Cross University said demand was growing for occupational therapy programs.
Tweed Heads student Olivia Burn, 18, said she picked the course at Southern Cross because it was a “diverse field”.
“I think (occupational therapy) has become much more recognised since I first heard about it two years ago,” she said.
“There’s a lot of demand for it and people have only started to understand what it is.
“After I graduate I want a job working in rehabilitation.”