KEY POINTS:
Five years ago, Te Rina Noon and Pagen Plaizier moved from their school in Manurewa to one of the plushest colleges in Auckland.
Both knew little about St Cuthbert's in Epsom until they applied for new scholarships for Maori and Pacific students which the school was offering.
The
Endeavour Scholarships were set up at King's Prep, King's College and St Cuthbert's in 2001 after an anonymous donor offered to pay for two girls and two boys from Maori and Pacific backgrounds to go to the schools.
The schools pay for a further four students, and each year four boys and four girls are selected to enter Year 7 at the schools, after a series of tests and interviews.
In about a month, Te Rina and Pagen will be the first to graduate from the Endeavour programme when they leave St Cuthbert's.
They started at the college in Year 9 instead of Year 7 because the Year 7 group was already full.
Pagen said her friends were a little bemused at her decision to go to St Cuthbert's rather than follow them to Manurewa High.
"They said 'What? It's all girls? There's no boys? What are you doing?"'
Te Rina also admits to some culture shock when she first arrived. "It opens your mind because you've come from Manurewa, you live in South Auckland, and you know the mindset out there and what people are like.
"You come here and it's just different. You are encouraged to do well. It goes from 'Oh, yeah, I've got a test tomorrow' to 'Oh yeah, I've got a test and let's study for it'."
Her preconceptions were of the "rich girls", "but then you get here and it wasn't like that. People are people here. It's not like 'Are you black or white?"'
Pagen, who boards at the school, said they had opportunities she doubts they could have taken otherwise.
"For example, Te Rina and I both went to France and Spain in the fourth form. It's those extra-curricular things that are the best."
This year Pagen was deputy head girl and will go to Auckland University next year to study law and arts.
She has been awarded a Russell McVeagh law scholarship as well as an Auckland Vice-Chancellor's Award for top Maori and Pacific students.
Te Rina also plays basketball for her hometown - she's in the Counties Manukau under-17 and Open Women's representative teams.
She hopes to go to the United States on a basketball scholarship.
Otherwise, she will go to Auckland University to do commerce and law.
Over time, the Endeavour Scholarships will provide education to 56 students selected for academic and leadership potential as well as their cultural heritage.
