Victoria Chanwai’s dedication to all aspects of school life – service, sport, academic and culture has gained her the 2017 Altrusa Youth Award.
The award recognises exceptional all-round Year 12 students from across Hamilton. It was awarded to Victoria at a ceremony last night at the Hamilton Gardens.
Victoria was nominated by St Paul’s Associate Headmaster, Ainsley Robson.
“Victoria strives to achieve as highly as she can, being at a national level for sport and music, and she is also an outstanding academic. Victoria is driven and always motivated to succeed,” he says.
A talented musician, Victoria was First Violin for the New Zealand Secondary Schools Symphony Orchestra and Second Violin for the New Zealand National Youth Orchestra. She passed her Trinity College London ATCL Diploma in Violin Performance with Distinction and received the highest mark in the Waikato for her Trinity College London Exhibition Award for Violin Advanced Certificate. Victoria recently passed her Trinity College London Grade 8 Organ exam with Distinction.
Victoria has been a rowing coxswain for three seasons. She was part of the teams competing in the New Zealand Secondary Schools rowing championships that received the gold medal for the girls’ under-18 coxed four and the bronze medal for the girls’ under-18 coxed eight. She was invited to trial for the North Island rowing team and is a recipient of the St Paul’s Best Coxswain Cup.
Victoria demonstrates empathy and compassion. She will regularly go to the Older Persons’ Rehabilitation (OPR) wards at Waikato Hospital to play her violin. “Most of the patients are stuck in their beds all day, so playing music for them is something which I love to do,” she says.
Photo Caption: St Paul’s Associate Headmaster Ainsley Robson with Victoria Chanwai.
