International scholarship added to awards at Whanganui UCOL

UCOL Whanganui Scholarship recipients standing for the student right-of-reply.

Whanganui UCOL held its 2024 Scholarship Awards evening on Thursday, October 10, with generous support from sponsors and a new international scholarship being added.

Jonathon Sykes, leader of Whanganui & Partners, said he wants to grow the number of international students in Whanganui. “This is a big reason for putting together this scholarship and supporting the ceremony,” he said.

“When we weave together the fact that we lead Whanganui to be the Unesco City of Design, these two points come nicely together in terms of the recipients.

Bronwyn Paul, campus manager, UCOL Whanganui, spoke with a creatives student, who said she was wondering how she would be able to complete her end-of-year project, but with the support of the scholarship she received, she will be able to do so.

Rachel Hoskin, strategic lead, (left) and Jonathan Sykes, Whanganui & Partners, award Marina Belsito from California - who is studying for a bachelor design and art - with the inaugural international scholarship.

“Many nursing students are currently on a nine-week placement, this is always a difficult time financially as they are unable to work their normal part-time jobs. Receiving a scholarship relieves financial stress,” said Paul.

Deputy-mayor Helen Craig is an alumnus of UCOL Whanganui, having completed a fine arts degree there. “I never thought I would be deputy mayor, but the journey of life takes all sorts of twists and turns and what a wonderful surprise that is,” she said.

“It was that passion for art that took me to stand for council and one of the reasons that I’m passionate about keeping UCOL a very strong component of our community.

“Council is serious about the importance of this organisation and to your future. Youth education is one of the most important parts of our community that you can support. It’s good for business and good for people.

“The mayor is also very strong on this. We hold regular meetings talking about how we can make this the strongest organisation we can, even though it’s not part of a local government remit.

“That’s why we meet with UCOL regularly and Whanganui & Partners are very strongly involved with that. One of their tenets is ‘we need strong tertiary education.’

“We’ve beaten down the door in Parliament and to the new Minister of Tertiary Education. We are working to influence making this the strongest and best tertiary organisation in New Zealand. We are passionate about it,” Craig said.

Sponsors:

· Action Coach Business Coaching

· Akoranga Education Trust

· Arthur Wheeler Leedstown Trust

· Bromar Trust

· Chartered Accountants Australia NZ

· Caci Clinic

· Candice Lillington

· George Boulton Trust

· Leighton Roe Memorial

· Lions Club of Wanganui

· Loloma Pasifika

· The Pati Family

· Wanganui Combined Rotary Clubs

· Whanganui & Partners

· Whanganui Education Trust