Te Teko girl among new Harvard graduates
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Natalie of Ngati Awa, Te Arawa, Tuhoe and Ngati Hine was the 2011 recipient. She grew up in Te Teko in the Bay of Plenty and went onto study law and Maori at the University of Otago.
The Fulbright-NPM Graduate Award is granted for advanced academic study in the US. Only one award is given each year to a graduate student whose area of study fits within one of NPM's research themes. The successful applicant must show academic excellence, leadership potential and the ability to be a cultural ambassador for New Zealand. Applications for the next Fulbright-NPM Graduate Award, to study or research in the US in the 2013-2014 academic year, close on 1st August 2012.
Natalie graduated with a one-year Master of Laws with a focus on human rights and social justice issues
Natalie says her time at Harvard was one of the most rewarding experiences of her life, not only in terms of being intellectually stimulating and challenging, but also from a social and personal perspective.
"The law programme brings together 180 students from 62 different countries from totally different backgrounds. I had the opportunity to go to Thailand with the Human Rights Clinic and spend some time in a Burmese refugee camp. This was incredible and I learnt the extent of the suffering some people are subjected to in the world. Being part of a project aimed at helping to alleviate some of that was extremely rewarding," she says.
Natalie says it was humbling to receive the graduate award. "The Fulbright name carries a lot of mana that is recognised internationally, and for me, it was even more significant and special because it was the joint NPM-Fulbright award. It is a great honour to be acknowledged for showing promise and the ability to contribute to M?ori development in the future."
Natalie recently returned to New Zealand and accepted a law lectureship offer from The University of Auckland.
The Fulbright-NPM Graduate Award is one of three exchange awards offered under a partnership between NPM, New Zealand's Indigenous Centre of Research Excellence, and Fulbright New Zealand. For more information and to apply visit www.maramatanga.ac.nz
Nga Pae o te Maramatanga (NPM) is one of New Zealand's seven Centres of Research Excellence and consists of 16 participating research entities and is hosted by The University of Auckland. NPM conducts research of relevance to Maori communities and is an important vehicle by which New Zealand continues to be a key player in global indigenous research and affairs. Its research is underpinned by the vision to realise the creative potential of Maori communities and to bring about positive change and transformation in the nation and wider world.
-Lani Hepi - lani@theboplive.net