Congratulations flowed this week for 19 local students from the University of Waikato
Tauranga campus. These awards are provided by Acorn Foundation donors and by the trustees of the TECT to help students afford the costs of tertiary education.

Four adult learners have won Acorn Foundation scholarships, five students have been granted TECT First-in-Family awards, and ten students have been awarded TECT Returning Student scholarships.

The first scholarship from Acorn was the Acorn Foundation Beverly Perszyk Scholarship, which was awarded for the first time in 2019. This award is intended for a student who is the first in their family to go on to tertiary study and who has successfully completed at least one year at university.

This year's winner is law student Ashley Heads. Ashley started working at a law firm at 17, and now in her 30s, she has completed three years of law school while working full-time. Ashley is passionate about employment law and is only one year away from finishing her degree.

'It hasn't been easy, but it makes it so much easier when you're passionate about what you do for a living, and that's what makes you get up at 4am in the morning to study,” says Ashley.

The next scholarship was the Acorn Foundation Kenneth Perszyk Senior Adult Learner Scholarship, established in 2021. This award is for the financial assistance of adult learners (40 years and over) during any stage of their study at the undergraduate or postgraduate level at the University of Waikato Tauranga campus.

This year's winner is single mother, lifelong Girl Guides supporter, and Head of the Languages Department at Tauranga Boys' College, Sharon Barrett. Sharon has taken a year's leave from full-time work to complete a Master's degree with Honours in Education, specialising in language and literacy.

The Acorn Foundation Adult Learner Scholarship was established by an anonymous donor in 2019 who is passionate about the benefits of higher education.

This year's winner is Danielle Goodall. A life-changing experience in 2019 sent Danielle onto a new path. She was working as Marketing Executive for White Island Tours when Whakaari/White Island erupted, and having experienced heartbreak, loss and tragedy, she is now determined to study Psychology to help others survive their hardest times.

Acorn scholarship winners Sharon Barrett, Taylor Hodgson, and Danielle Goodall. Photo: Supplied.

In 2007, the Acorn Foundation Eva Trowbridge Scholarship was launched, and it has up to now assisted 15 adult students, 25 years and older, to undertake studies through the University of Waikato Tauranga campus.

"We are pleased to announce that Taylor Hodgson is our 2022 winner," says Acorn Foundation CEO Lori Luke.

Taylor is studying Psychology, and she is in the final year of her Bachelor of Science degree. Taylor has a passion for helping those suffering from eating disorders and has a goal to open an Eating Disorder Recovery Centre in Tauranga.

'Acorn's generous donors are proud to support areas of the greatest needs in our community and many are also committed to rewarding excellence. These women are incredibly deserving recipients of these four scholarships, and we are thrilled to be able to provide a hand up as they undertake study at the University of Waikato Tauranga campus,” says Lori.

TECT trustees now support two types of scholarships at the University of Waikato Tauranga campus.

The First-in-Family awards are designed to help students who have no family members who have previously enrolled in tertiary study to afford university expenses. Returning Student scholarships are intended to provide support for second or third year students to continue with their studies.

Wayne Werder, TECT CEO, says that the trust is proud to support students in our local community.

'Study expenses have continued to increase, and we are really pleased to be able to provide financial awards that help top students afford the cost of university.”

Five students were selected for the First-in-Family Scholarships: Melissa Burton, Rique Campus, Trent Irving, Ashlee Salmon, and Ramanpreet Toor.

'Being the first and only child in my family to attend university is a real honour," says Rique. "There are so many kids across the globe who do not have the privilege of attending higher education –some who don't even attend secondary school – and so being in this position in a country where I can do this and receive funding for it makes me feel very grateful.”

Ten winners of the Returning Student scholarship received their certificates on Tuesday. These top-performing students are Faith Hirini, Olivia Manninen, Kelly Berentson, Ben Jones, Bronte Hemmings,Hugh Roberts, Jasmine Campbell, Erin Murphy, Meila Kamo and Terence Tata.

'I am just grateful because, you know, it's been challenging the past few years, but with the scholarship you don't have that same financial stress, which I think a lot of university students can relate to. It's opened up more opportunities and means I have less stress and can concentrate on studying,” says Meila.

Lynda Johnston, Professor of Geography and Assistant Vice-Chancellor Sustainability, spoke about the importance of scholarships.

'Scholarships attract more students to education. Our University is committed to this Bay of Plenty region. We are making a difference, not just to individuals but also to communities within the region. A healthy community is one that is well educated and when people are educated, they have more life choices," says Lynda.

About the Acorn Foundation:
The Acorn Foundation enables generous people to make a bigger impact in their communities, by investing the funds and distributing the returns to causes that matter – forever.
Since it was established in 2003, Acorn has distributed over $13M to communities in the Western Bay of Plenty. This funding has supported hundreds of charitable organisations that are important to their donors and are vital to the region's well-being.
In 2022, the Acorn Foundation gave away over $3M to 213 local charitable organisations and
scholarship and award programmes. More than $500,000 was distributed through scholarships and awards, including the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction which is given annually at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Find out more at: www.acornfoundation.org.nz