When he first started his school journey, former Aquinas College in Pyes Pa student Eric Shin thought a New Zealand scholarship was beyond his reach.

“As I got older, that changed.”

The college helped to push Shin with tutoring classes, and eventually, he found his passion.

“Calculus, I find it so much fun.”

He also received scholarships in chemistry and statistics and an outstanding grade in physics.

Aquinas College Principal Matt Dalton. Photo / George Novak

Spotlighting academic achievement

Scholarships are a “touchstone” for Aquinas College, principal Matt Dalton said.

“We have a culture of excellence within the school and reinforce it regularly.”

The scholarship students inspire others at the college and show others what is possible for them, he said.

“We certainly put a spotlight on academic achievement like this.”

There were 787 students at Aquinas College last year, and they don’t have the same resources that bigger schools have for scholarship classes, Dalton said.

“Which is probably the norm for many New Zealand schools,” he said.

The best and brightest

New Zealand Scholarship is an award that recognises top secondary school students. Top students in each subject can do NZ Scholarship assessments to achieve this award.

Students who achieve a New Zealand Scholarship receive a monetary award, and students who receive multiple NZ Scholarships may also be recognised through NZQA’s Top Scholar Award ceremony.

This ranges from a one-off $500 payment for a single subject award to $10,000 per year for up to 3 years for premier award winners.

To receive payment for a NZ Scholarship monetary award, you must be enrolled in tertiary study in New Zealand.

New Zealand Scholarships recognises top academic achievers across the motu and awards the top 3% of learners nationwide.

Outstanding achievements are reserved for 0.3% of students in the country.

Shin has moved on to Auckland University to study Engineering.

Aquinas College Year 12 student Monique Faire received NZ top scholar in Biology, while former student Eric Shin, received an outstanding scholarship in physics.

‘Inspiring others’

But he has left an indelible mark on his fellow students, and Aquinas Head Girl Year 12 student Monique Faire was awarded New Zealand’s top scholar in biology.

“Biology, it’s in the sweet spot. It’s it combines skills of literacy. It combines more empirical things in science.”

“You are always applying it to a real-world context.”

The three-hour exam has three questions, worth eight points each, for a total of 24, she said.

Students receive a book of resources for each question and pages where they write down their answers.

Faire also obtained scholarships in religious education, health and physical education and an outstanding in English.

She said that the scholarship is not just about studying hard but also enjoying what you do.

Faire also plays hockey and is participating in the Duke of Edinburgh Award, helping new students at the school find what they are interested in.

“They’ve got a passion for technology, building things, maths and sciences. You just give them a space to explore that.”