An expensive student loan will not be necessary for three Tauranga high achievers who have each won a complete university scholarship.
Otumoetai College Year 13 students Anna Prestidge, Emma Dwight and Katie Wilson have all been awarded a scholarship to the University of Auckland that will pay for their first three years of study, plus an allowance and flights home.
In return, the girls have to achieve a high grade average, but this should not be hard for the three girls who are all well known for their academic performance, leadership skills and success in extra-curricular activities. Miss Prestidge, 18, will be working towards a double law and arts degree and at this stage is considering majoring in either English or political science.
"That's my plan for next year," she said. "I have no idea at this stage what I want to do when I graduate so I'm leaving my options open.
"I'm quite interested at this stage in human rights law, but it's so hard to know what I'll like because we don't study any of those things at school."
When asked why she got her scholarship, Miss Prestidge listed a considerable CV, beginning with an excellence endorsement for her NCEA Level 2 certificate, leading on to her passion for opera and musical theatre, and to her pastime of teaching young children vocal direction.
"Ideally, I'd like to see myself in some place like the United Nations, that would be the top card," Miss Prestidge said.
Miss Dwight, 18, is hoping she can defer her scholarship until 2015 as she plans to travel around Europe and the United States next year in a campervan with her parents.
She has such a wide range of talents she was not sure what she should choose as a career and is hoping a year off will help her make up her mind.
"I have a real balance of things I'm really interested in and passionate about so trying to narrow that down is a struggle." Last year, Miss Dwight was the top scoring student in New Zealand for the scholarship level sports science exams, even though it was a Year 13 class.
She was the student representative on the Board of Trustees this year and chaired the executive committee.
She is passionate about volleyball and is also musically talented, playing the keyboard and guitar.
She is a leader at her church youth group and also plays keyboard in its band.
The Bay of Plenty Times was unable to speak to Miss Wilson as she was off school sick.