news

Midway through Year 12, Shianna sat down and recorded herself. What she has to say is eye opening.

As 200,000 Australian students wait with baited breath to receive their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) results, a new ABC documentary series is set to lift the lid on the reality of preparing for the momentous life event.

An event that anyone who has a teenager that’s gone through year 12, or has gone through year 12 themselves, will tell you about the tears, meltdowns, late nights and cramming sessions involved with making it through.

my year 12 life
Year 12 student Shianna. Source: ABC.

But in My Year 12 Life, the story is no longer a story - they're a tangible deep dive into the bedroom and study areas of the students living the experience in 2016.

ADVERTISEMENT

"I’m feeling so much pressure, and so much stress and expectations to do the best I can, and I can't, I can't. I’m not superman," Year 12 student Shianna admits during one of her vlogs.

my year 12 life
Year 12 student Shianna in one of her vlog posts. Source: ABC.

One of 14 students to take part in the series, she continues, "I'm not going to let four letters and a number on a piece of paper at the end of it all tell me what I can and can't be. I refuse to let something tell me what I can and can't be."

It's raw, honest and something we've either never seen or managed to forget.

ADVERTISEMENT

But according to creator and executive producer Laura Waters, busting the pressure tank open is essential.

my year 12 life
Year 12 student Shianna in one of her vlog posts. Source: ABC.

"It’s time we talked about the stress we’re putting on teenagers, and the effect of telling them they should be judged by one number, the ATAR," she told ABC.

"We wanted to hear their stories, told their way. Since teenagers are hilarious, dramatic, and brutally honest, so is our series,” she says.