Academy student off to Chile
Despite not being in the winning group, Te Aratika Academy student Kaysie Cornes has been selected for a trip to Chile after successfully competing in the Entrepreneurs in Action business experience in Wellington last month.
The 17-year-old, who was part of Team Creative HQ, said it was the most draining three days but also the most fulfilling.
“It felt so good to accomplish it and meet new people who were at the same level as me and help each other to learn and improve that was the coolest part.”
Each student attending received a $1000 Massey scholarship and winners of the trips to Chile ( October) and Colombia (January) were chosen individually and were selected based on their performance over the weekend, and a supplementary video application.
“For me it opens doorways and gives me experiences that I can draw on for my own business. Going overseas and seeing how professional businesspeople run their businesses’ and how they interact with each other, I think that’s quite important.”
At his school, Cornes is the CEO of Ivory Cards, a business making playing cards to encourage people to learn te reo Maori.
Pou rahi (facilitator) Matt Webb said it was impressive Kaysie had attracted the attention of the organisers.
“I see it as just reward for someone who has got great ideas and someone who draws other people in.
“Kaysie, even though he talks about growing in his confidence, he does have a quiet confidence about him and he always put his hand up for stuff, he is really enthusiastic, proactive and uses his initiative. Because of those attributes he’s got, he attracts people and things to him,” Webb said.
In the future, he hopes to incorporate his passion of te reo and teaching children.
EIA participants were chosen from the more than 3800 participants in The Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme programme that spans the entire school year.
Of those, 246 applied to compete in the weekend with only the top 80 students being selected for one of 10 teams from across New Zealand.
Six of those 80 were Hawke’s Bay YES students.