By MONIQUE DEVEREUX
Yesterday the Herald published a list of the country's top scholars - the 72 winners of annual Education and Scholarship Trust examinations. Today, we introduce you to the two Herald scholarship winners, selected for their top achievements and special family and financial circumstances.
Ten years ago, Mile Gu could not speak a word of English.
Today the 17-year-old Waiheke Islander is one of New Zealand's brightest students, passing three university papers, sitting five bursary subjects, been named school dux and having set up a successful website.
Mile is one of this year's two Herald-Education and Scholarship Trust $3000 winners. The other one is Birkenhead College dux and all-round excellent student Rita Choi.
The scholarships were established last year to help top students that have special family and financial circumstances. Entries are open to students in the Herald circulation area who sat this year's NZEST examinations.
Mile's parents are voluntary researchers for Greenpeace who moved to Waiheke from China 10 years ago.
In nominating Mile for the scholarship, Waiheke High School principal Anne Willmann described him as one of the few students she had met who deserved to be called outstanding.
He wanted to start university education when aged 14, but a Government rule change meant that he had to wait two years.
He has completed three papers from Massey University. He passed Bursary calculus at 14 and Bursary statistics a year later.
His website previews and reviews computer games and has 10,000 hits a day.
Next year Mile will make the ferry trip to study physics and computer science at Auckland University.
"So this scholarship will go a long way to help with finances. Even just the ferry is an expense, not to mention the uni fees."
Rita Choi applied for the scholarship to ease the financial burden for her father, who is unwell.
Her academic success has long been evident, says Birkenhead deputy principal Sandy Pasley, who taught Rita in fifth-form science. "She's just brilliant. In School Certificate I think she got about 96 and she was mad at getting the other four wrong."
She plans to study economics and computer science at university and wants to eventually work in information technology.
Rita could not be contacted yesterday.
Scholarships ease financial burden
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