Derrick is the founder and owner of Derrick Ha Student Coaching Services. Over the past sixteen years, Derrick has established himself as an author, tutor and lecturer in senior VCE mathematics.
Derrick's unique teaching style is drawn from his personal experiences in the VCE and his active extracurricular involvement. In 2007, Derrick attained a perfect ATAR score of 99.95. He was the only student in Victoria (cohort of 48,840) to achieve perfect raw scores in all six of his VCE subjects.
Subject | Raw Study Score | Year | |
Top 4 | English Language | 50 | 2007 (Year 12) |
Specialist Mathematics | 50 (scales to 54.2) | 2007 | |
Accounting | 50 | 2006 (Year 11) | |
Mathematical Methods | 50 | 2005 (Year 10) | |
5th Subject | Chemistry | 50 (5.0 increment) | 2006 |
6th Subject | University Mathematics | High Distinction (5.5 increment) | 2007 |
Aggregate = 214.7 |
Click here for the Herald Sun article on his VCE results.
Click here for the University of Melbourne Scholarships media release.
Derrick’s credentials also extend outside of the VCE. He has many successes in mathematics competitions and, in 2007, achieved a perfect score in the Westpac Australian Mathematics Competition. He was awarded a gold medal and the B H Neumann Certificate for being the only Senior student in Australasia to achieve this perfect score.
He was also an invited attendee of four training selection schools for the Australian Mathematical Olympiad Team. In both 2004 and 2005, Derrick was awarded a Diploma by the Russian Academy of Sciences for his accomplishments in the International Tournament of Towns Mathematics Competition.
Derrick also has extensive experience in public speaking and mathematics coaching:
- Mathematics lectures
- Derrick was the sole lecturer for state-wide end-of-year revision lectures for both Mathematical Methods CAS and Specialist Mathematics.
- Motivational Speaker
- Derrick is regularly invited to schools to help inspire students and to equip them with the techniques to achieve their goals.
- Guest Speaker in Mathematics
- Derrick conducted Specialist Mathematics revision classes at Haileybury College.
- Mathematics Tutor
- Derrick is a tutor in both Mathematical Methods and Specialist Mathematics.
- He volunteered as a tutor in English and mathematics for Sudanese immigrants.
- DAV State Finalist Debater
- Derrick was a speaker in the team that reached the DAV Debating State Finals in four separate years, including a State semi-finals berth in Year 12.
- State Mooting Champion
- Derrick was a speaker in the legal team that won the State Mooting Titles in the 2007 Bond University Mooting Competition.
Derrick's other extracurricular achievements include:
- School Vice-Captain of Haileybury College 2007
- Haileybury Badminton First Team - Captain 2007
- VCE Premier’s Award – Top All-Round Achiever 2007
- Australian Student Prize 2007
- Dux of Haileybury College 2007
- Monash University Prize for Academic Excellence in Year 11 (2006)
In addition to his educational roles, Derrick currently works as a doctor. He completed his medical training at the University of Melbourne, as a recipient of the prestigious National Medicine Full Scholarship. During his studies, he also won multiple Dean's Honours Awards. Following graduation, he has attained a Diploma in Child Health and also completed his post-graduate fellowship training. Derrick currently works as a consultant medical doctor, in addition to his roles as a mathematics tutor and motivational speaker.