The 2021 Aquinas College Academic Honours Assembly celebrated the Year 11 and 12 NCEA achievements at Level One and Level Two. They also recognised some outstanding Scholarship achievements by our Year 12 students.
This years Assembly hosted special guest Dr Lauren Barnett, an Aquinas College foundation pupil in 2003. She became Head Girl in 2009.
Of Ngati Raukawa descent, Lauren has completed her Maori Health Workforce Development dissertation and is a trainee in psychiatry at Tauranga hospital. She continues her research in the Hauora Maori sphere. In 2009 the Aquinas Yearbook claimed Lauren was ‘Most likely to set a bad example consistently!’
Lauren told the story that in her fourth year at the University of Otago, she failed her surgical run and thought it was the end of the world. At the time, she recalls feeling like this was a colossal failure and likely to affect her chosen career. Her reaction was to hide from the world. Lauren did get through and explained to us the benefits of learning to become resilient and ask for help. Her thoughts had impacted her emotions, and Lauren believes she now knows the importance of not being so afraid of failing. Thank you, Lauren, for your time, wit and wisdom.
Photos below: Lauren with 2021 Head Students Charlotte Watson and Dom Piceno. Morning tea for students and parents of our 2020 NCEA Scholarships and Excellence recipients.
Download a full list of recipients:
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