Waikato students win scholarship for Asia

22 June, 2015

Waikato students win scholarship for Asia

A University of Waikato student from Morrinsville is heading to one of the largest cities in Asia after being awarded a 2015 Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia.

Ella Gollogly is going to Seoul, South Korea where she will spend 17 weeks studying papers in data, communications and marketing at Yonsie University. The papers will be cross-credited to her Waikato degree.

Ella and three fellow Waikato students, Jonathan Adams, Sam Gilling and Christopher Batterton, are among 60 students nationwide to be awarded the scholarship.

While Ella has her sights set on Seoul, Jonathan’s off to Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka Japan, Christopher is going to study in Singapore and Sam is already undertaking a six-week internship with a non-government agency in India, helping educate children with disabilities.

Ella says she had been aiming for the scholarship for years.

“I first heard about the scholarship in 2013 before I was at university and as soon as I was eligible I went for it,” says Ella.

It was a long application process but with the help of Gwenda Pennington at the university’s Scholarships Office and other staff, Ella managed to submit a successful application.

It will be her second trip to South Korea, a country she’s fallen in love with. She has been teaching herself Korean to help overcome the language barrier.

“South Korea has a really interesting blend of culture, history and modern technology,” she says.

“As a Bachelor of Electronic Commerce student the high-tech side of things really appeals to me.”

The Prime Minister's Scholarships for Asia is a scholarship programme funded by the New Zealand government and administered by Education New Zealand. Established in June 2013, the scholarship covers costs relating to study or research in Asia.

More info available here.

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