To infinity and beyond for HSC all rounder

BYRON Bay High School graduate Zev Sage has his sights set on a career at NASA after being accepted to study space engineering at the University of Sydney.

The 18-year-old said he expected his ATAR would be around 93, which isn’t enough to get into the program.

But he was surprised to discover he was named an HSC All Rounder – scoring marks in the top band in every subject – with an ATAR of 98.65.

The subjects he studied included Design and Technology, Advanced English, English Extension 1, Maths Extension 1, Maths Extension 2 and Physics.

“I love the patterns in nature that mathematics describes and predicts; to me, it’s the story of humanity’s evolving understanding of the universe’s inner workings — one that continues to inspire me every day,” he said.

Sage decided to defer his offer to study in Sydney University’s Engineering Honours with Space Engineering program for a semester to rest and recuperate after two years of hard work.

“Because I’m interested in space engineering, which isn’t a big thing in Australia, I’m also applying to some US institutions, including a few top universities, such as MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology),” he said.

“I have always been interested in astronautical engineering, and one day I hope to work at NASA or the European Space Agency.”

Sage moved to Myocum from Wollongong with his family four years ago when his father was offered a role as a GP.

“Byron Bay High supported me a lot in my academic endeavours, from accelerating me in certain subjects to simple things like allowing me to try teaching the class a certain topic,” he said.

The school had a total of 14 students on the HSC Distinguished Achiever’s list.

Mullumbimby High School had eight students on the list, Alstonville High School had five and Ballina Coast High had three.