Bill Holland will be sorry to lose Bayley Brown as his legal secretary when she delves into full-time study at the University of Waikato’s new city campus next year. But law partner, Chairperson of TECT and community stalwart, Bill, isn’t bitter. In fact, it was his suggestion that Bayley follow her childhood dream of studying to become a teacher.
“It had been something that I had mentioned to Bill and he was incredibly supportive of my decision,” says Bayley.
Bill also encouraged the 21-year-old to apply for one of the new Tauranga Tertiary Campus Charitable Trust (TTCCT) Scholarships, to help her on her way. Bayley can now lay claim to being one of the inaugural recipients of a Tauranga Campus First-in-Family Scholarship, and says she couldn’t be more “stoked”.
“This scholarship is such a huge encouragement to me and I guess it just gives me confirmation that I am doing the right thing,” says Bayley.
Originally from Auckland, Bayley moved to Rotorua with her family when she was six and went on to study at Rotorua Girls’ High School. Following their wedding last year, Bayley and husband Michael took up jobs in Tauranga and fully settled here in March of this year. While she’s thrived in her role at law firm Holland Beckett, Bayley is keen to start her three-year Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) degree in 2019.
“Teachers have such an awesome opportunity to encourage, inspire and empower young people,” says Bayley. “I am super excited about the prospect of journeying alongside kids in some of the early years of their life.”
Despite always wanting to attend university, Bayley says the timing never seemed quite right. Until now. She’s excited to be amongst the first cohort attending Waikato’s new city campus and, with the central location close to Holland Beckett, there’s a good chance Bayley can fit in part-time work around her studies which is an added bonus for her, and boss Bill. Bayley is also looking forward to meeting new people and seeing where her degree takes her.
“This degree will give me a platform to speak encouragement into future generations,” she says. “I think people want to feel valued in what they are doing so my goal is to make people feel that way, wherever I am.”
The Tauranga Campus First-in-Family Scholarships are the first in a series of scholarships generously donated by the TTCCT with the support of key funders of the campus development: Tauranga City Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council and the Tauranga Energy Consumer Trust.
The University’s motto ‘ko te tangata’ (for the people) is a core value underpinning the purpose of the scholarships. With three types of scholarships on offer, ranging from $1000 to $23,000 per year, the future looks bright for students opting to study at the University of Waikato in Tauranga.
Information about the next round of TTCCT scholarships, and other scholarship opportunities for study at the University of Waikato, is updated regularly on the scholarships page.
