OGECHUKWU Obiechefu only arrived in the UK from Italy a year ago.
But the teenager went straight in at the deep end, going into Year 11 at Djanogly City Academy to study for her GCSEs – even though she struggled to speak English.
Despite this, she knuckled down and managed to pick up top GCSE grades, including a B in English.
She also managed As in Italian, science and maths and has moved on to New College Nottingham to study A-levels in biology, maths, psychology and music.
When she got her results, the 16-year-old, of Sherwood Rise, said: "It wasn't easy coming in at such a late date but I really wanted to work hard and get good results.
"Now I have done that I am very happy."
Her hard work prompted teacher Susan Davies to nominate her in the Most Improved category of the Nottingham Post Student Awards.
Ms Davies said: "She had a very poor experience of schooling when she was overseas. She spoke Italian and her written English was far better than her spoken English.
"Moving to a British school was a huge cultural shock for Ogechukwu, especially given the difference in teaching and learning.
"However, she threw herself into her new surroundings and school life and, rather than seeing them as problems, welcomed them as challenges to be overcome.
"She set a very high example for fellow students and was also very supportive of other new students who joined the academy."
