Joel earns big boost for studies

JOEL: Science whizz

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Being interested in science has paid off for one young man – big time.

The names of top performers in last year's New Zealand Scholarship exams were released last month, and former Macleans College student Joel Lawson is one of eight premier scholars in the country.

The 18-year-old gained top marks for chemistry, science, and statistics and modelling. For this he will receive $30,000 towards his studies.

This is the sixth premier award Macleans College students have received in the past five years of the exams, the highest number for any school in New Zealand.

Two other east Auckland students who gained premier scholarships are Asher Emanuel and Nelson Lam, former Saint Kentigern College students.

Joel has just started an engineering and science conjoint degree at Auckland University, which will take him five years.

He thinks his interest in science was the reason he was so successful in his exams. "It's a lot easier to do well in a subject you are interested in, and studying for a scholarship is pretty good incentive as well."

He was in Taiwan on holiday when the results came out, and his dad contacted him with the good news.

"It didn't really sink in at first because I was so far away from home and everything," Joel says.

"When I got home and checked my email and Facebook and saw all the messages from friends and family, that's when I realised I had actually done it."

Joel wants to work in research and development when he finishes studying.

- © Fairfax NZ News