The stress of paying rent and affording groceries can fade into the background for a while for university student Amber Goodall, who is the winner of a $3700 scholarship from the Motueka Lions Foundation.
Motueka local Amber, 22, was delighted to be awarded the financial boost, which is offered annually to one tertiary student who has a connection with the wider Motueka area.
The student must be in at least their second year of study. The scholarship was founded in 2022.
Amber is in her fourth and final year of study at Victoria University, where she is doing her Masters in primary teacher education.
There were 10 applicants, and Lions members Bill Menzies and William Mitchell made the decision independently, coming together to discover that they had both endorsed Amber as their top pick.
Motueka Lions president Mike Brown says that the scholarship feels like a great thing to be able to offer.
“It’s quite encouraging to feel like you’re a part of someone’s learning,” Mike says.
Amber says that the scholarship enables her to focus on her study without worrying so much about how she will meet her living costs.
“I’ve worked my whole degree, but this [year] is a bit more full on,” she says. “It’s been very helpful.”
She hopes to move back to this area once she has completed her studies.
Amber attended Riwaka School and Motueka High School herself and worked as a teacher aide at Riwaka School in 2020, and she reckons it would be “a bit poetic” if she secured a position back there.
She chose teaching as her course of study because she loves working with children and making a difference in their lives.
“I had wonderful teachers growing up, and I’d just like to make a difference like they did for me.”
For information or to support the Motueka Lions Club, contact motuekalions@lionsclubs.org.nz
