Nayland College alumna and budding scientist Aimee Bartlett, can now add recipient of the Nelson Soroptimist Education Trust School Leaver Scholarship to her growing list of achievements.

The scholarship is worth $1000.00 and acknowledges and awards female first-year tertiary students who are studying full-time, towards a recognised qualification. 

In her application, Aimee was asked to provide a copy of her academic results, an example of something she achieved that she was proud of, the aim of her tertiary study and how the qualification would help her. In combination with Aimee’s University of Otago Academic Scholarship, the funds will go towards her university expenses.

At the University of Otago, Aimee is studying a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Neuroscience. Her first semester papers includeed Psychology, Chemistry, Cells (biology) and Human Body Systems.

Aimee admitted that university was quite a step-up from college. “It [university] is very different from college. The pace of learning is a lot quicker and there is a lot more freedom in how you manage your time. With that comes a lot of responsibility to manage your time efficiently.”

Equipped with her Bachelor of Science, Aimee hopes that her studies will lead her to a career where she is able to help others. Whether her ambitions translate into a research position or role in the medical field, her goal remains the same: to learn as much as she can about the brain and human behaviour through studying neuroscience and psychology.

At Nayland, Aimee was part of the accelerate programme and as she moved through the school, she found a passion for biology, chemistry and psychology. Last year she entered the Cawthron Scitec Expo with projects based on her school assignments. This resulted in her winning several prizes including the NMIT Aquaculture awards and the Plant and Food Research award.

“Nayland shaped my curiosity and desire to learn about people and the world around me. What I enjoy most about science is being able to find out how things work, including what you can and cannot see. There will always be something more that we can discover, which is a constant never-ending challenge that I enjoy.”

Aimee had some advice for those interested in pursuing a career in science. “I am very early on in my university studies, but I would say always try new things within the world of science and have an open mind... Study what you are interested in, and have that lead you into a career.”