At just 13-years-old, Annabelle McMillan slipped her arms into a graduation cap and gown, with a university credit under her belt.
The Heritage College Lake Macquarie Year 8 student is one of the 232 high school pupils to take a course through the University of Newcastle this year.
Students from across 50 high schools graduated from the High Performing Students Program on Friday June 26.
The program is a chance for outstanding high school students to try a university-level course, and be eligible for a credit for future university studies.
Annabelle chose to study the course Legal Systems and Method, which looked at the foundation and structure of the Australian legal system.
"I went in a bit blind, I didn't know what to expect," she said.
"I found it interesting because I feel like I might want a job in that direction one day."
The 13-year-old said she found most school-level classes and tests quite simple and she sometimes felt bored with the level of work.
"It gave me work that I would actually find interesting and not boring," she said.
"I learnt quite a lot, the other kids had done legal studies through school, but I had no idea about anything in the legal system."
She said she learnt about common law and precedent and legal processes as well as a lot of core terminology.
"The main thing I learnt was how to analyse situations and think critically," she said.
"The course teaches us to think like a lawyer."
Attending classes online every Friday for 15 weeks, Annabelle said she found it hard.
She also learnt how to format a legal memo and it gave her an insight into what studying law might look like.
"I found it challenging and it taught me a lot of things about myself," she said.
"I do debating at school and I've really noticed that these classes have helped me improve my skills."
The high performing students program allowed students to choose from a range subjects, including sociology, discrete mathematics, globalisation and international management and foundations of health disease.
The majority of students were aged between 14 and 16.
Annabelle gave a speech to the graduating cohort where she told her peers the lessons she learnt during the course.
"Just because you've suddenly hit something you find really challenging, it doesn't mean that you can't do it," she said.
"It is supposed to be an experience where you can learn more about yourself rather than it breaking you apart."
Her mother, Sarah Jane Rosenbaum, said it was valuable for Annabelle to realise she can do harder work than she had been doing at school.
"It helped her realise that there is stuff that will challenge her out there, in a good way," she said.
