Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia have been awarded to Kacy Cosgrove (20), Eliza Ching (21) and Oliver Johnston (20).
They are alongside 189 other recipients of scholarships to Asia and Latin America around the country.
The students found out about their award in early November but had to keep it a secret until Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s official announcement last week. Miss Cosgrove will be carrying out a one-semester exchange at Dalian University of Foreign Languages, China, a trip she had been planning for a while, and the scholarship provided welcome support.
"I’m quite excited," she said.
"I don’t have to use the money I had already saved up."
Miss Cosgrove had been studying a bachelor of arts and science in Chinese and chemistry at the University of Otago. She had been learning Mandarin for a few years now.
"I want to be able to speak at a level fluent enough to converse normally," she said.
Miss Ching, who would travel to Fudan University in Shanghai, China, to study Mandarin, had similar aspirations for her trip, hoping to immerse herself in Chinese culture.
She was studying towards a bachelor of arts in Chinese and Maori at the University of Otago and, while looking forward to the experience, "I definitely think I’ll get homesick".
Mr Johnston, of Otago Polytechnic, would be heading to Taylor’s University in Subang Jaya, Malaysia, studying for a bachelor of applied management, and said the experience would help his future career in international business.
