Pacific students awarded First-in-family scholarships [1]
Friday, April 7, 2017 - 20:09. Updated on Friday, April 7, 2017 - 20:10.
Nine Pacific Islander students in New Zealand were among 13 recipients of the Woolf Fisher First-in-Family AUT Scholarship to study at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT). All of the recipients are the first in their immediate families to attend university and this year five are Tongans.
Announcing the names today AUT stated, “They are the first in their immediate families to attend university – When you have no family history of university attendance, or come from a community where higher education is not the norm, the challenges of making it ‘across the stage’ are manifold.”
One of the recipients, Laryia Lomitusi (18) is the eldest of seven children in her family. “My goal is to increase Pacific representation in the health sector. Also, to use the knowledge and skills that I gain to help my community in Otara and those back in Samoa,”
AUT Vice-Chancellor, Derek McCormack stated, “We want to encourage young New Zealanders to follow their dreams – to experience success in their chosen field of study and inspire others to attend university,”
“First-in-family students affect intergenerational change. Going to university signals a new educational cycle for the wider family – it encourages other family members to view higher education as a possibility.”
The annual Woolf Fisher Trust AUT Scholarship covers direct study costs for the duration of an undergraduate degree at AUT (nominal value of around NZ$20,000).
2017 Woolf Fisher Trust AUT Scholarship recipients
Five Tongans are :
Makelila Fetu'u, Sir Edmund Hilary Collegiate, Otara
Callum Fiu, De La Salle College, Mangere
Felila Havea, Auckland Seventh Day Adventist, Mangere
Salome Paea, McAuley High School
Ofaloto Talakai, Wesley College, Pukekohe
Others:
Michelle Ellis, Tangaroa College, Otara
Emmette Gray, De La Salle College, Mangere
Gene Jones, Edgewater College, Pakuranga
Laryia Lomitusi, Tangaroa College, Otara
Thu Nguyen, Otahuhu College
Anna Siafolau, Manurewa High School
Faava Tuigamala, Tangaroa College, Otara
Helen Wilson, Tangaroa College, Otara