Deni Ranasinghe was one of more than 1100 Vocational Education and Training (VET) students to receive their awards at Thursday night’s CDU graduation ceremony. In a sea of faces, though, the student stood out. She is only 14 years old.
The Year 9 Dripstone High School student was the youngest person to graduate at CDU’s mid-year graduation ceremony this week, receiving a Certificate II in Business for her work with the Crocodylus World Practice Firm.
Completing the course at only 13 years old, Deni has already enrolled in a Certificate III in Business with the VET in Schools program.
Combining the demands of high school, a full-time VET study load and an active social life would challenge most, but Deni has taken it in her stride.
“My interest in business was first sparked by my mum in her capacity as an accountant and a finance lecturer,” she said.
Thursday night’s graduation ceremony was all the more special for Deni, with mum and CDU VET finance lecturer, Tina Jones part of the academic procession.
Ms Jones said that complying with a strict schedule has been the catalyst for her daughter’s success.
“Deni is very much your typical 14-year-old except she knows what she wants and she knows that things won’t just fall in her lap, so she sets out to make it happen,” she said.