One student, Philippa Struthers, has gained a $10,000 postgraduate scholarship, and the others, Yeri Kim, Leah Hamilton, Chris Bloomer and Griegan Panckhurst, have received $6000 scholarships to support undergraduate studies.
The Otago students were among 32 A-grade university students from throughout the country who were presented with the Freemasons scholarships - seven postgraduate and 25 undergraduate, and totalling $220,000 - in a ceremony at the University of Waikato, in Hamilton, this week. The scholarship winners also had an impressive record of community involvement, Freemasons officials said.
Miss Struthers (24) is focusing her PhD research on aspects of strengthening family and school relationships to support early literacy in children.
She is also studying for a postgraduate diploma in clinical psychology and plans to attend three international psychology conferences next year, in Italy and the United States.
Miss Hamilton (22) reflected the views of several of the Otago students, in commenting that the scholarship "takes the pressure off financially".
She is in the final year of bachelor of laws and BA (Hons) history study, and edits the New Zealand Law Students Journal.
Mr Bloomer (21) is taking a year away from his MB ChB medical studies to undertake bachelor of medical science honours research.
He is a keen runner, and is also part of a "coffee buddy" programme which gives help in conversational English to medical students who have English as a second language.
Yeri Kim (21), originally from Korea, is studying for a physiology honours degree and will examine how dysfunctional neural signalling impairs information processing in disorders such as autism.
She also has a diploma in music, with distinction, from Trinity College, London, and is a senior welfare staff member at St Margaret's College.
