Alocal Year 12 student has excelled in a university program – before even completing high school.
Jessica Tresidder is the first Tenison Woods College student to participate in the UniSA Accelerate Program, gaining a high distinction for Marketing Principles: Trading and Exchange and placing in the top 1% of her cohort with a grade point average of seven.
UniSA ACCELERATE is a program open to all Year 12 students living in South Australia and provides the opportunity for students to start studying university subjects in their final year of school.
It guarantees students an early place into a business degree at UniSA and students achieve 10 SACE credits for up to two allowable subjects.
In addition, students gain study credit towards a UniSA business degree for successfully completed courses.
The subjects are delivered 100% online.
In line with Miss Tresidder’s interest in business, she has applied to study a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) at the University of South Australia.
Tenison Woods College principal David Mezinec said Miss Tresidder was a consistently hard worker and respected role model for students.
“Jess is a student who has not only achieved outstanding academic success at school but has also received High Distinctions for two university business subjects in Year 12 (being completed via the University of South Australia’s Accelerate Program), which will provide her with automatic entry to a business degree,” he said.
“Jess has overcome significant personal challenges to become an exemplary, caring, thoughtful and entrepreneurial young woman.
“Jess sees herself in business or marketing in the future and admires businesses that make a difference.
“In her own words, she says ‘it’s always important to me to give’.”
Miss Tresidder launched her own business in Year 11 (at the age of 16) when she stumbled upon a lucrative idea to make personalised key chains.
She purchased a second-hand etching machine for $200 and launched an Etsy account in late February 2021 to see if she could sell the product more widely than just her school friends.
With her business jumping to the Etsy bestseller list, the young entrepreneur has juggled school, study and her budding business in addition to part-time work.
Prior to her current keychain business, Miss Tresidder had launched and run her own social media management business which she started at age 14 to manage multiple beauty and wellbeing accounts.
In 2021, Miss Tresidder received a $15,000 business scholarship from Business News Australia in recognition of her outstanding business and entrepreneurial talent.
The scholarship provides $9000 for business-related purposes, and $6000 worth of mentoring/business resources from a range of companies with expertise in business growth and entrepreneurialism.
This is the first time a student of the college had been recognised for entrepreneurial pursuits.
Outside of school, she teaches art to young children and has held part-time employment with Red Rooster since February 2020.
Miss Tresidder was named the company’s national crew member of the quarter for her impressive sales.
