AN Otago Girls' High School pupil will have the chance to stand in the footprints of her great-grandfather when she attends the 100th anniversary commemorations of the Battle of the Somme later this year.
Year 13 pupil Laura Voight (17) is one of 10 secondary school pupils from throughout New Zealand, and the only Dunedin pupil, to be selected to be a young ambassador of the Shared Histories project at the centenary in September.
The project will involve secondary school pupils from New Zealand, Australia and France educating one another about the impact of World War 1 on their respective countries.
Laura said she was feeling "a bit overwhelmed'' to be representing Dunedin, Otago Girls' and "most importantly'' her family.
"It's kind of like the show Who am I? because I don't know that much about that side of my family.''
Her great-grandfather Coverley "George'' Gow Harvey fought at the Somme, regarded as one of the worst battles in terms of New Zealand casualties.
She had been learning French for 10 years and, after returning from a two-month exchange in France, the Shared Histories programme provided the perfect opportunity to return.
"The French language is a huge part of me.''
The application process required her to write a letter in French about her identity and the significance of the Somme campaign.
Otago Girls' French teacher Tiffany Holmes was 'really stoked'' by her pupil's selection.
"It's an amazing opportunity for her and I feel really lucky that someone from Otago Girls' has been chosen because she was selected out of the whole of New Zealand.''
The 100th anniversary ceremony will be marked in Longueval on September 15.
