Key Points
- Some 67,234 students completed their Higher School Certificate this year.
- Lebanese migrant Georgio Yazbek overcame personal challenges to secure an offer to study medicine at UTS.
- Yazbek was inspired to pursue the medical field after witnessing his father's prolonged battle with cancer.
Tens of thousands of students across NSW were on edge on Wednesday night, as they awaited the release of their Higher School Certificate (HSC) marks and ATARs.
For Georgio Yazbek, a Belmore Boys High School student, the marks were not the main thing on his mind.
He said that he's been going through a lot lately.
"I've got my brother at the hospital having surgery. I had my dad yesterday at the hospital having surgery, so the marks were not the first thing I was thinking about. I had more priorities, like my family," Yazbek said.
It was his teacher who hadn't slept the previous night, worrying about Yazbek and his other students' results and texting him early in the morning.
"I woke up at 5am [on Thursday], and I saw Mr Chahrouk texting me: 'Where are the marks? Did you get your marks?' He was up before me, waiting for the results. As soon as I got them, I was very excited and happy. And I sent him the message with my mark straight away."
Omar Chahrouk, Belmore Boys High School deputy principal and Yazbek's teacher, laughed that as a new father, he'd been sleep-deprived anyway, but the anticipation of receiving the results added anxiety.
"Last night I didn't go to sleep until one o'clock," he admitted.
"My wife is also a teacher at the school. She was even faster than me to get on her phone to see whether any of the students had sent through their results. And it was great to get the results from Georgio because it was a good start to the day."
Georgio Yazbek (right) with his teacher Omar Chahrouk at the school's graduation ceremony. Credit: Supplied.
Yazbek arrived in Australia from Lebanon about two years ago with no knowledge of English. In his home country, he was studying Arabic and French.
Witnessing his father's prolonged battle with cancer for many years, Yazbek found inspiration to pursue a career in medicine and was working hard toward this goal.
Despite the challenges of moving to a new country and learning a new language during the demanding final years of high school, he remained determined not to abandon his dream.
"I was told by so many people that I wasn't going be able to achieve my goals. I wasn't going to be able to become successful. I wasn't going to be able to learn the language. By people who were close to me, like my cousins and my other relatives," Yazbek said.
"But now that I finished my HSC and that I've got a good ATAR, I'm just really proud of myself, and I'm trying to show everyone that I can do it, and I’m going to do it. I'm going to get there one day, and I'm going to help all these people in need."
With his father being in and out of the hospital, Yazbek said he had lots of responsibilities, including supporting his mum and his brother.
He had never worked in Lebanon, but shortly after coming to Australia, had to start helping with a family cafe.
"I was working 10-hour shifts, which was something I was not used to at all. It was very different. But at the end of the day, you must get used to the environment you're living in, and you need to adapt because I am just building the foundation for my bright future."
Georgio (right) and his family at their small bakery. Credit: Supplied
"I haven't decided yet on what my specialisation is going to be, I'm leaving this for later. But definitely, it will be something related to cancer treatment."
Chahrouk said he wished that there were more doctors in Australia like the one Yazbek aspired to become.
"We've got kind of similar experiences as his dad is suffering from cancer, and I also had my dad suffer from cancer when I was studying," Chahrouk said.
"I think there needs to be more boys and girls from our community, demographics, working in oncology units, supporting cancer patients. Cancer is an illness surrounded by many unknowns.
"And I think if you don't speak English, those unknowns, I guess, are intensifying. Having doctors speaking multiple languages will support the patients and their families in navigating through what they're experiencing, giving them that sense of hope."
Some 98 per cent of Belmore Boys High School students come from non-English speaking backgrounds, and Chahrouk said the school tries to provide all kinds of learning and personal support to them.
"We have a strong focus on providing wellbeing support. My office is very small, but the boys see it as a therapy room. I find them lining up, waiting to sit down and just to talk.
"We have quite a diversity of learners here. Ninety-eight per cent are from non-English speaking backgrounds, as well as many with low socio-economic statuses. However, that just adds to the many stories of success and celebrations that we get to experience here daily,” Chahrouk said.
Praising his school and teachers for the support he received here, Yazbek wants to give back to his school community by offering tutoring and mentoring to younger students.
And he promises to visit often.
"I always tell Mr Chahrouk that this place is like a home for me, and I'm gonna miss it so much," he said.
"My family has a small bakery right next to the school; so I literally come here every single day to have coffee with Mr Chahrouk. I say 'hi' every single day, to all the teachers, all the staff, and the principal.
"I have a lot of good memories in this school. I made a lot of friends here. These were just unforgettable days."
Some 67,234 students completed their HSC this year, with 55,519 students receiving an ATAR, and another 20,000 leaving school with a vocational qualification.
About 12 per cent of this year's HSC results were in the top performance band; 72 per cent of results were in the top three bands, and 128 students achieved first place in an HSC course,
Some 18,516 students were recognised for their outstanding achievement in their studies as they were placed on the state's Merit Lists.
