A multicultural advocate who’s a Burmese migrant and a football prodigy who can ‘Bend It Like Beuker’ have grand plans up their blazer sleeves to help young wāhine to blossom.
Nelson College for Girls (NCG) head girls for 2025, Katie Beuker and Sui Len Par Thang, shed tears of joy as they made a beeline for the school stage at the end of last year upon being appointed to the pivotal roles.
The wāhine toa dubbed “very approachable” have been enthralled by the school’s spirit, its events, and its groups.
The pair want to preach to the 900-plus student body that success can take many forms.
“We both had such a different journey to head girl this year, so showing the rest of NCG that you can be a leader through many different pathways is something really important,” Katie says.
“NCG is a place that young women can thrive, we have a really good school spirit, and I’ve loved being in that environment and seeing a lot of female empowerment.
“I think continuing that is something I want to bring to the leadership role this year.”
Sui had immigrated to Nelson from unrested Myanmar with her whānau in 2013, and says her appointment was “very emotional”.
“I’m very happy with the sacrifices and the trouble that my parents had to go through leaving their heritage, their homes, and their parents to come here for us to have a better life,” she says.
“I would like to encourage more of the minor groups within [NCG] that there’s nothing too impossible for them to achieve… and I want to be that role model where they can be like, ‘if she can do it, I can do it’.”
Katie praised Sui’s appointment as “a massive achievement”.
“I really admire her and it’s amazing to have such a strong woman with me for this year,” she says.
Sui’s advocacy for her ilk includes being a Multicultural Nelson Tasman Youth member and co-organising NCG’s cultural diversity day and cultural committee group.
She plans to increase the school’s multiculturalism image as head girl and extend her advocacy through an architecture degree in 2026.
“The people back in my country, we live in poverty, and we don’t have stable houses or that type of lifestyle that I’m privileged to have here,” she says.
“I want to be able to provide and design beautiful, stable homes for my community and for other communities within Nelson, New Zealand, or back at home.”
Katie’s plaudits include merit endorsements for NCEA Level 1 and 2, captaining the school’s First XI football squad, and also competing with Nelson Suburbs in the Women’s South Island League.
She intends to study sports management across the ditch when the whistle blows on her schooling tenure.
Katie says she and Sui will “soak in” their final year and “enjoy the moment”, knowing Year 13 disappears at the double.
