An Otorohanga local, Josie Butcher, has been offered four tertiary scholarships for study in 2016 valued at more than $100,000.
The year 13 boarding student of St Paul’s Collegiate School has been offered two major scholarships from the University of Auckland and University of Otago for $50,000 and $45,000 respectively. She has also been presented with offers for Victoria University and commercial law firm Russell McVeagh.
Butcher is going to accept two of the offers – for the University of Auckland and Russell McVeagh – which will contribute $65,000 towards her five-year undergraduate conjoint of law and science.
The University of Auckland scholarship is “the most you can get at any university.” The scholarship covers the first three years of tuition, any course related cost, tutoring for the first year and has a small allowance for travel home or accommodation.
The 17-year-old says she feels “extremely elated and relived” and that her ultimate goal during secondary school was to get university scholarships to minimise her student loan.
“I never in a million years thought that I would get all four. I feel very, very lucky,” Butcher said.
She credits St Paul’s and her previous college Otorohanga College for her success. Selection for the University of Auckland was mostly based on academics and both colleges pushed her to achieve academic success.
“I had to have at least eighty excellence credits from NCEA level two to apply for it,” explained Butcher who achieved 130 excellence credits for NCEA level two under the guidance of her teachers at St Paul’s.
She also passed two NZQA Scholarship examinations last year (English and PE) which helped Butcher stand out in the application process. Only 3% of students who sit NZQA Scholarship pass the examinations.
“I got a scholarship for English and an outstanding scholarship endorsement in PE last year. That pushed me into the short list.”
“Mrs Hansen, my English and debating teacher really helped me. She encouraged me to apply for the Russell McVeagh scholarship, helped me pass NZQA Scholarship English and encouraged me to be part of the mooting and debating team which all contributed to me getting the law scholarship.”
Not only did Butcher secure a decent contribution towards her tuition fees, she had also lined up a grad position in law.
“Getting the Russell McVeagh Leavers Scholarship means that I have a guaranteed job out of law school. This is just another awesome opportunity for me to study my passion of law and science without having to worry about tuition costs and finding a job at the end of it.”
Russell McVeagh offers scholarships to promising school leavers each year which includes assistance with study costs, work experience at the firm, a solicitor of partner as a mentor and the opportunity to work as a summer clerk.
The scholarship is well sought after by school leavers with roughly 500 students applying each year. Of these applicants only nine are successful.
The opportunity to work at Russell McVeagh has motivated Butcher to study and work in commercial law initially, she will then move onto humanitarian work with her ultimate end goal to “work for the UN.”
