Scholarships empowering Te Puke students

Four learners from Te Puke have won Acorn Foundation scholarships, with 11 students granted TECT First-in-Family awards and 10 awarded TECT Returning Student scholarships. Students from the University of Waikato Tauranga campus celebrated their awards with friends and family in March.

The scholarships include the Beverly Persyzk Scholarship for first-in-family university students, awarded this year to Aria Gibson, who is studying a Bachelor of Science majoring in marine science. Te Puke High School deputy principal Simon McGillivray won the Kenneth Persyzk Sr Adult Learner Scholarship for his Diploma in Te Tohu Paetahi, a Māori language immersion programme.

Other notable winners include Bella Muir, recipient of the inaugural Bruce Longmore Scholarship for marine science study, and Louisa Westerlund, a respected Te Puke local and volunteer, who won the Eva Trowbridge Scholarship while studying for a Bachelor of Laws. These scholarships, provided by Acorn Foundation donors and TECT trustees, help students afford the expenses of tertiary education.

Originally published in Te Puke News by Sun Media.