Yale trip looms for Aotea teens
‘‘I think it'd be an incredible experience. I love the thought of representing New Zealand, my family, and my school again.’’
Three Porirua teens’ dedication to academia has seen them well rewarded - with 36 medals and an invitation to visit Yale University in the United States.
Aotea College students Kate Powell, Jemma Brisk, and Cerys Poore recently returned from the global round of the World Scholar’s Cup in Cape Town, South Africa.
They had initially doubted their ability, not confident of winning any medal.
So, it was with complete shock when organisers named the only Kiwi team eighth overall, out of about 70 teams from 32 countries.
‘‘We were all thinking that we couldn’t have made it into the top 25, that it was impossible,’’ Kate said. ‘‘But as they got to the top 10, that’s when we knew we had done well.’’
‘‘Then we were like ‘huh?’ It was very surprising,’’ Jemma added.
They placed 14th in debating, eighth in the quiz, seventh in the multi-choice, and individually cemented their place in the top 50 scholars.
The icing on the cake, they said, was an invitation to compete in the cup’s Tournament of Champions held at one of America’s Ivy League institutions in November.
The trio’s South African qualification came after they beat all of New Zealand’s junior competitors in a series of debates, essays and team quizzes.
But their academic journey to the United States might just be a pipe dream.
They must decide by September 1 if they can raise $6000 each for the registration fees, airfares and accommodation.
‘‘I’d like to go, I think it’d be an incredible experience. I love the thought of representing New Zealand, my family, and my school again,’’ Cerys said.
Tutor Sarah Semple said they shouldn’t have doubted themselves.
If they get the opportunity to compete in America, they have a good shot at doing well, she said.
‘‘There is still stuff we can work on to improve their performance but they have got a good chance of doing really well. They’ve made everyone extremely proud but with a bit more effort they could do even better.’’