Ashlee Coldrick
Te Awamutu College’s Ashlee Coldrick has been chosen to attend the latest Pacific Student Leaders Programme.
The 18-year-old Year 13 student – who has been a deputy house captain, headed the college’s ball committee and worked as a mentor for Year 9 students – is one of 17 other Kiwi students packing their bags in preparation to head to Vanuatu for the week-long course in December.
“It will be a great way to end the year,” Ashlee said.
The Wellington-based Future Leaders Academy programme aims to develop leadership skills for students training in a cultural setting.
The New Zealand delegation will be joined by 12 Australian counterparts and 15 Pacific Island students.
The programme features planning and goal setting, cultural awareness, problem solving exercises and community building activities like beach cleaning and tree planting.
“I’m excited about the opportunity it provides to meet a lot of new people too,” Ashlee – a former Te Awamutu Primary and Te Awamutu Intermediate School student – said.
“I’ve really enjoyed being involved with the leadership roles I’ve had at school, so this will be a fantastic opportunity to build on those skills in a new environment.”Mum Natasha found out about the programme and thought it would be a perfect fit for her daughter.
Ashlee then applied by filling out an online form.
“Even from a young age, Ashlee has always shown leadership potential and ability,” Natasha said.
“I’m proud of the positive influence and role model she has always been for younger students.”
As she considers next year, Ashlee said at this stage it’s likely she will head to Auckland University of Technology (AUT) to study a Bachelor of Visual Arts, majoring in photography and psychology.
She wants to become a secondary school teacher.
