Cambridge High School 2025 dux Hannah Goodwin (left) and proxime accessit Emily Drake.
Hannah Goodwin was named dux of Cambridge High School at senior prizegiving last Thursday evening, just moments after her long-time friend Emily Drake received the runner-up award, proxime accessit.
Hannah, 18, said winning the school’s most prestigious academic prize had been a long-held ambition – but she had been surprised by how it felt.
“I thought I would be a lot happier,” she said.
“But I’ve realised that really, I don’t want to be defined by my academic ability. I realised it’s way more important to be recognised for being a good person who helps and cares for others.”
Originally from Wellington, Hannah moved to Cambridge with her family in 2017. Her father Nick is an associate pastor at Raleigh Street Christian Centre and her mother Jo is a primary school teacher. She has a 15-year-old brother, Theo.
Hannah came first in year 13 physics as a year 12 student in 2024 and was top of English, history and geography this year.
She also won a Lions Club of Cambridge community service award, the Jamie Moore Cup for library service, and a Cambridge High School Educational Trust Award.
Her interests include reading, writing, playing the cello, acting, directing plays, debating, netball, hockey, cricket, philosophy, theology, history and politics.
Next year she will head to the University of Auckland to begin a Bachelor of Arts degree.
“I am not particularly sure what I am going to major in, but I’m interested in areas such as politics, philosophy, history, and linguistics,” she said.
“I have zero idea where I will end up or what I will do. I am going to study for the sake of learning and developing my ideas and knowledge, but not for the career opportunities.
“I think it’s important to have an informed and well-developed understanding of the world and of ourselves.”
Hannah said her main ambition was to find work that helped people and created a positive impact on others.
Emily, 17, said receiving proxime accessit just moments before Hannah won dux was “so perfect”.
“Hannah and I have been debating in a team together for the past three years called the Buffleheaded Ducks,” she said.
“I guess Hannah’s now a buffleheaded dux.”
Originally from England, Emily migrated to New Zealand in 2013 with her father Matthew, an anaesthetist, mother Sarah, twin sister Harriet, and younger sister Annabelle, now 14. The family moved to Cambridge in 2021.
This year Emily won top of year 13 classics and mathematics with statistics. She was awarded the C A Moroney Science Scholarship, and a Cambridge High School Educational Trust Award.
Slightly intimidated by “how close adulthood is”, she plans to begin a Bachelor of Science degree doubling majoring in neuroscience and physiology at the University of Otago next year.
“I love learning and all things science,” she said.
“These courses offer such a range of papers across things like psychology and zoology, anatomy, which means I can experience a large range of scientific study that interests me and hopefully discover what I want to pursue in greater depth.
“There are still so many subject areas I haven’t discovered – I want to see where study takes me before I plan for a particular career.”
In her spare time, Emily enjoys baking, music, judo, badminton, walking and swimming.
She said studying consistently throughout the year had been crucial to her academic success.
“I never wanted to feel like I hadn’t tried as hard as I could,” she said.
“Knowing that you have done the best you could do, no matter how good it is, is the most important thing to me. I think that drive to prove myself, to myself, was what helped me do so well academically.”
