Four St Paul’s Collegiate senior students are following their passions at tertiary level this year with the help of valuable scholarships.
Netballer and future law student Grace Namana couldn’t contain her glee when she heard the news that she had won a Waikato University Hillary Scholarship.
The scholarship covers the full cost of tuition for any chosen degree and provides financial assistance for halls of residence commitments.
‘‘I jumped up and down in my room and Mum and Dad jumped up and down too, not having to pay fees.’’ As part of her scholarship, Miss Namana was offered professional training and a free gym membership which follows on from her secondary school netball success as a member of the New Zealand Secondary Schools and Aotearoa Maori netball teams.
Grace is the daughter of The House Movers owners Jo and Dean Namana and is the first person in her family to go directly from school to university.
Fellow Hillary Scholar musician and singer Paul Newton-Jackson achieved top marks in Cambridge IGCSE Music in 2011 as well as NCEA Level 1 endorsed with excellence. In 2012, he gained an Outstanding Scholarship in Music and NCEA Level 2 endorsed with excellence.
Head girl Jessica Reilly was one of 120 students from 1300 applicants to gain a $50,000 scholarship from Auckland University and plans to study medicine.
The scholarships are awarded to students who display exceptional levels of academic excellence, all-round ability and leadership.
She also gained another $5000 to help with accommodation and two return air fares a year.
Already a busy person, Jess has committed more than 350 hours working as a volunteer lifeguard for Raglan Surf lifesaving Club.
Conor Gawith was the only Kiwi among 30 students to gain a $25,000 scholarship from the International College of Hotel Management in Adelaide, Australia.
The scholarship covers four years’ tuition and enables Mr Gawith will graduate with two degrees, a Bachelor of Business (Hospitality Management) and Bachelor of International Hotel Management (Swiss Hotel Association).
St Paul’s headmaster Grant Lander said he was thrilled with the results.
‘‘The drive of our staff and students to reach their personal best and to continually achieve outstanding academic results is why our former students are being offered opportunities in life beyond secondary school.’’
St Paul’s Collegiate School is one of the top schools in New Zealand for academic results with NCEA results much higher than the national average. In 2012, St Paul’s students also achieved the highest number of Scholarship Examination passes, per capita, among Independent Schools in New Zealand.
