A $2 million investment in the Bay’s youth

The Bay of Plenty Education Trust has hit the $2 million mark in terms of money gifted to local youth for their tertiary education endeavours.

A total of $2,081,750 has been received over the years by 409 students from coastal BOP colleges thanks to the Trust’s Science, Technology and Emerging Industries Scholarships.

The latest Western BOP scholarship recipients: Logan Murray and Vince Escaran (Tauranga Boys’ College), Kate Dekker (Aquinas College), Katie Seng Woon Chua and Rachel Wahab (Ōtūmoetai College), Manu Gates and Danica Fisher (Tauranga Girls’ College), Benjamin Salmon (Bethlehem College), Michael Kean (Katikati College), Cameron Paterson (Te Puke High School), Harriet Van Der Westhuizen and Adrena Palmer (Pāpāmoa College), and Joe Chapman and Ruby Burt (Mt Maunganui College).

This year’s Eastern BOP recipients are: Deepak Joshi and Rhys Robertson (Whakatane High School), Brayden Andrews (Trident High School), Shinaid O'Regan (Edgecumbe College), Atutahi Porter (Ōpōtiki College) and Trizhana Wade (Tarawera High School).

Dentistry, engineering, medicine and para-medicine are amongst the career paths the latest recipients are keen to pursue.

BOP Education Trust recipients gathered at their WBOP scholarship ceremony, Trust member Tom Beswick. The students are, back row from left to right, Michael Kean, Ruby Burt, Vince Escaran, Benjamin Salmon, Cameron Paterson, Joe Chapman and Logan Murray. Front row, from left to right, Kate Dekker, Harriet Van Der Westhuizen, Rachel Wahab, Katie Seng Woon Chua, Danica Fisher and Adrena Palmer. Absent: Manu Gates.

Pictured at their EBOP scholarship ceremony are, from left, Brayden Andrews, Deepak Joshi, and Rhys Robertson. Absent: Shinaid O’Regan, Atutahi Porter and Trizhana Wade.

 

Alisha a dab hand in a lab

 

Give Alisha Dabb a state-of-the-art microscope to play with and she’s a happy woman.

It’s six years since this BOP Education Trust scholarship recipient headed off to begin her studies and plenty has been achieved since then.

Wellington-based Alisha has a Master of Science degree in the field of cardiac pharmacology and works at the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research. She is a staff scientist within the bioimaging team in the institute’s Hugh Green Cytometry Centre.

Her role at the Malaghan Institute is to support and train staff and students in all histological, bioimaging, and image analysis methods.

“This can be anything from training students in basic histological techniques (such as thinly slicing samples, and staining them on microscope slides), to designing and performing experiments which require imaging under various microscopes, followed by image analysis,” Alisha explains.

“At the Malaghan Institute we focus on immunology research, including fields such as cancer and CAR-T therapy, hookworm therapy, and allergy, infectious disease, and COVID-19 research,” she says.

A thrill of the job for Alisha is being able to work for an independent, charitable organisation that is actively contributing to medical research and development to improve health outcomes in NZ.

“I enjoy working on different projects whether it be cancer, allergy, or worm related, and am lucky to be able to provide insight and support. I also get to play with state-of-the-art microscopes where I can generate some awesome images of cells in their environment,” she says.

Alisha’s journey from school leaver (Trident High School) to scientist started at Otago University where she did year one of Health Science, which quickly turned into a Bachelor of Science when she discovered a love of biochemistry. She graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacology and Biochemistry. She completed a summer project in the Department of Pharmacology before going on to last year complete a Master of Science in cardia pharmacology. During her studies she spent summers working at the Bay of Plenty Regional Council in Whakatane as a Laboratory Technician in the chemistry and microbiology labs.
Receiving the BOPET scholarship was “incredibly helpful” as it was a financial stress reliever… and more.

“It also gave me a lot of confidence in my ability to achieve academically, helping me to maintain a positive mindset that got me through my five years of uni,” Alisha shares.

When not at work, Alisha enjoys going for walks and jogs and crocheting. She also loves spending time with friends and family, including her new kitten, Delilah.

 

RIP Roger

It is with sadness that the BOPET announces the passing of trustee and former chairman Roger Loveridge.

Roger served as chairman for eight years and was applauded for the stabilizing influence he had on the trust and its growth. He is held in high regard by past and present trustees.

He died suddenly on February 7.

Chairman Nick Earl, who replaced Roger as chairman four years ago, says Roger was firmly committed to supporting organisations focused on educating young people.

He dedicated 15 years to serving on schools’ Boards of Trustees, and reinvented the Young Enterprise Scheme in the Western BOP – a scheme he ran for ten years.

Roger was a life member of Tauranga Chamber of Commerce. He was involved in the initial organisation of the Tauranga Business Awards and was then one of a team of award judges over an eight-year period.

He started (and then ran for 25 years) Bay Business Centre - a successful company selling and installing technology into BOP businesses.

His voluntary hours also included years spent on the Waipuna Hospice Board.

Image: Roger, right, pictured with former BOPET member John Burn.

Money for organisations supporting youth

Know of a Bay of Plenty organisation with a focus on helping youth?

If so, you may wish to spread the word about the BOP Education Trust’s (BOPET) supplementary grants.

Applications for the grants are open until the end of April and local agencies and organisations supporting youth are invited to apply to tom@inghammora.co.nz
A pool of up to $35,000 is available to be shared.

The supplementary grants are a relatively new initiative, born out of the Trust’s keenness to expand the way in which it helps young people in the coastal Bay of Plenty.  Agencies and organisations operating from Katikati to Opotiki are invited to apply.

BOPET chairman Nick Earl says the Trust is happy to invest in organisations that focus on worthwhile endeavours such as teaching youth life skills. These include building self-esteem and resilience, encouraging teamwork, problem solving and sound decision making, and fostering positive attitudes.

The successful 2023 applicants were:The Western and Eastern BOP House of Science organisations, The Graeme Dingle Trust Project K Foundation, Blue Light Ventures (Tauranga and Whakatane). Previous recipients include ICONZ and the Youth Encounter programme.