The highly competitive Boy & Joy Owens Scholarships have been awarded for 2022 at seven colleges and high schools across the Western Bay of Plenty. These awards provide a $5,000 payment per annum for three years to the talented students selected. The Owens Scholarship winners, along with students selected for 15 additional scholarships for tertiary education, were honoured at a Scholarships Celebration hosted by the Acorn Foundation on 12 December at The Kollective.

The Owens Scholarships have been supporting young people in our region for 29 years. These award winners have shown a significant commitment to their schools and to the community, with a strong idea about their future goals. The Acorn Foundation administers the awards while volunteer Owens Scholarship Committees work with each school’s administrators to choose finalists who are then interviewed by the panellists.

The 2022 Bob & Joy Owens Scholarship winners include:

Aquinas College: Antony Death, who will attend the University of Canterbury to study Mechanical Engineering

Bethlehem College: Jenna Warner intends to pursue a Chemistry degree at Auckland University

Mt. Maunganui College: Alex Thompson will study a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Canterbury majoring in Human Resource Management and Operation Supply Chain Management

Otumoetai College: Ella Quarmby, who is pursuing a major in English Literature & Creative Writing at Victoria University

Tauranga Boys’ College: Taine Larsen will study a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) degree at the University of Canterbury

Tauranga Girls’ College: Ella Paterson will seek a career in Arts and Humanities, specialising in English

Te Puke High School: Emma Howe is going to pursue a Bachelor of Food Technology at Massey University

Ella Quarmby of Otumoetai College was also awarded the Jann Medlicott Creative Arts Award from Acorn earlier this year. She was described by the Owens panellists in this way, “Ella presented as an incredibly creative and intelligent young lady. She is someone we expect to see great things from in the years to come.”

The entire Acorn team congratulates these outstanding students and wishes them every success as they prepare for university.