James Abella, Sophie Leitch, Asha Dickson and Bridget Scobie received $7000 for the University of Otago leaders of tomorrow entrance scholarship, Kimberley Orr and Savanah Costello received $16,000 for the University Of Otago Maori Entrance Scholarship and Jacob Harvey received $16,000 for the University of Otago 150th Entrance Scholarship.
Jacob said the process to receive the scholarship was straightforward.
"I felt like it was a combination of hard work inside school, keeping the processes going, getting assessments in and keeping myself well," he said.
He was happy to receive the scholarship, as it would be a weight off his mind heading into study.
"It’s going to be a massive help for me personally. It’ll relieve the financial stress and gives me that bit of extra confidence that I can go further and further if I keep working hard," he said.
Jacob said Menzies had a very good track record with achievement, from the way it emphasised students helping each other grow and achieve.
The college had a whanau programme, he said.
"Students from year 7 to 13 get to mingle. [It] can help to give them building blocks for the next level of school.
"It helps them not feel intimidated; everyone feels like they belong. It’s like a big chain moving up."
Savanah said she was heading to Otago University to learn primary school teaching, something she was passionate about.
"I’ve always loved children and how the system works with teaching them. I’ve been on placement at Edendale Primary for two years and I’ve loved every second of it.
"It’s a nice way to give back. It’s calm, but hard at some points, but very exciting," she said.
Savanah had transferred to Menzies from a much larger school. The college was welcoming and provided what she needed to succeed, she said.
"I think the culture is quite cool. There’s a lot of aspects, a variety of things to do here — hunting, kayaking [and] volleyball.
"There’s a lot of things available for students and teachers go above and beyond to set these up. It’s really cool," she said.
Menzies College principal Kath Luoni said the school had always done well, and the scholarships reflected the hard work of the year 13 students.
"It varies year to year, and the cohort. This year it’s a particularly good group and we’re happy to see them recognised," she said.
