In the second year of the programme, the firm has opted to offer one law and one general scholarship
WRMK Lawyers has awarded scholarships to Kerikeri High School Prefect Grace Sheldon and Bay of Islands College social work major Danielle Tana this year.
Both students are from the Northland region. In the second iteration of the firm’s scholarship programme, it has opted to offer one law scholarship (awarded to Sheldon) and one general scholarship (awarded to Tana).
With the law scholarship, Sheldon will receive $10,000 in cash, guaranteed paid work experience after her second year at university, and mentorship from WRMK Lawyers.
“Grace’s drive to succeed and her involvement in the community stood out, and we are delighted to be able to help support her through her studies,” managing director Wayne McKean said.
Sheldon shared that she was “delighted” to start her legal journey.
“He aha te mea nui o te ao, He tangata, he tangata, he tangata. I have no doubt that the most important thing in the world is the people. I aspire to become a lawyer so that I can truly make a change in our world that will be sustained for future generations to come,” she said. “I strive to improve our community in any way possible and I believe it starts with he tangata, he tangata, he tangata. I am full of excitement and gratitude for WRMK Lawyers for their support of me and my journey to create this change. I am so proud to be a recipient of this scholarship because of my admiration for WRMK’s community initiative.”
Meanwhile, Tana will receive $3,000 in cash to support her studies.
“We were so impressed by Danielle’s attitude towards succeeding in life,” McKean said. “Danielle’s strong desire to help others shone through during the application process, and attaining her qualifications will help her one day to make a significant impact on Northland’s communities.”
Tana described meeting WRMK Lawyers as a privilege.
“As Sir James Henare says, ‘Kua tawhiti ke to Haerenga mai, Kia kore w haere tonu. He tino nui rawa ou mahi, Kia kore e mahi nui tonu’; ‘You have come too far, not to go further. You have done too much, not to do more’,” she said.
WRMK Lawyers’ scholarship programme is part of the firm’s community strategy, which focuses on youth and education. The law scholarship in particular is intended to help aspiring law students who have displayed academic ability but face barriers to study such as financial need or life circumstances.
