Grace says she chose the topic for her entry in last year’s global Immerse Education Essay competition because of its lingering regularity, as well as the need for continued awareness on the issues facing women at work.

In her selected submission, Grace wrote about how application discrimination, undermining of women’s authority, and the expectation of women to sacrifice family for career are all significant issues that impact the success of women in leadership positions.

“At Dio we’re very lucky to be constantly encouraged, and supported through our student life,” she says. “The way Dio teaches us from a young age to be confident in our ideas, and not to allow ourselves to be shut down easily will certainly help when we move out into the world.”

Grace, who is currently studying Global Politics as part of the University of Auckland’s Young Scholars Programme, has opted to do an International Relations course at the Oxford University Summer School, where she will be staying for two weeks to take part in lectures, tutorials, and complete a personal project.

Grace says having the opportunity to take NCEA History a year level ahead and finishing Level 3 in Year 12, helped her advance her studies in the Social Sciences and brought the opportunities of the Immerse Education programme to her attention.

“I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity — the Immerse Education competition is a great way to allow people from all over the world to experience life at top universities, especially before we have to decide where we want to study once we leave school.”

Grace, who is one of the School’s Deputy Ethics Prefects and leaders of the Dio-Dilworth Big Band, was awarded an Outstanding result in the New Zealand Scholarship Religious Studies examination last year.