Used to doing the hard yards training for adventure racing, a Taranaki teen’s academic efforts and social conscience have seen her tipped as a future leader – a feat which has landed her a four-year scholarship to study in America.
Mercy Jones, 17, is this year’s winner of the Robertson Scholars Leadership Program.
The initiative was established by American philanthropist Julian Robertson and funds young leaders from around the globe.
The teen finished her secondary education at New Plymouth Girls’ High School last year, where she had been part of its accelerated learning programme since Year 10.
READ MORE:
* Spotswood College’s head girl receives $20k Māori scholarship
* Maya Dickson’s determination and focus is paying off
* Taranaki’s Head Boys and Head Girls for 2018
By Year 13, she was the deputy head girl, top overall scholar and named school dux.
She counts adventure racing as one of her hobbies, along with orienteering and cross-country running.
Jones, who has also won accolades for her skills as a pianist, founded Connect2Grow, a service which brings young people into rest homes to perform music and talk with the residents.
She will study engineering at Duke University in North Carolina, which she called the “ideal place” to further her career ambitions and “combine my passions for problem solving, the environment and leadership”.
John Taylor, chair of the Robertson Scholars Leadership Program select committee for New Zealand, said Jones was the ideal choice to win, based on the prize’s emphasis on leadership and service.
© 2022 Stuff Limited