Twenty-four outstanding students who studied in the Faculty of Education in 2022 received excellence awards at the ceremony. Three students also received special awards: the Ilse B. Steinberger Award, the Certificate of Excellence for a Māori Graduand, and the Certificate of Excellence for a Pasifika Graduand. These students came from the undergraduate Bachelor of Education (Teaching) Early Childhood, the graduate diplomas in primary, secondary, and early childhood teaching, and the Master of Teaching and Learning.

Gina Barclay (Kāi Tahu), a graduate from the Master of Teaching and Learning (Secondary), received the Certificate of Excellence for a Māori Graduand. Gina is interested in subjects that explore social influence and impacts. She is passionate about ensuring that we look at the world, the media, and history in a critical way, and this is also what she wants to help ākonga to do. She credits her success to her mentors at Onslow College, the University’s Dr Liana McDonald, and her amazing whānau.

Ana Halo, a graduate from the Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Primary), received the Certificate of Excellence for a Pasifika Graduand. Ana hails from the beautiful villages of Lakepa, Avatele, and Tamakutonga on Niue Island. She acknowledges that her villages and her family, many of whom are also teachers, have been crucial to her success. Ana looks forward to making a positive difference as a Pasifika role model in education.

Donald James, also a graduate from the Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Primary), received the Ilse B. Steinberger Prize. Originally from a small town in Scotland, Donald found himself in Aotearoa and immersed in the world of education and decided to pursue a teaching qualification. Donald brings a wealth of life experience to the classroom and is enthusiastic about building relationships with colleagues, students and whānau. He is excited to support students to build healthy friendships, boundaries, and curiosity about the people in their lives.

Ilse B. Steinberger was an outstanding elementary school teacher in the USA, as well as a tutor and a founding member of the Gamma Alpha chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma International, a professional honorary society of women educators. The prize was established by her daughter Erica McLean, and Erica and the University’s Development Office have recently arranged that this prize will continue in perpetuity. The award of this prize is based on academic achievement and teaching performance.

“This is a bunch of highly talented people joining the teaching profession—we are so proud of their achievements. They bring a tremendously rich background of study and life experience to the teaching profession,” says Professor Carmen Dalli, Dean of the Faculty of Education. “These awards really demonstrate the quality of our teacher education graduates, and we were particularly delighted to have had the Minister of Education as our guest speaker to witness the talent of the graduates.”

Congratulations to all the award recipients: