From Vermont to Victoria
29 October 2014
A 20-year old student from a small town in the United States will study at Victoria University next year, thanks to a
competition and campaign promoting New Zealand as a study destination to students from the United States (US), run by
the government agency for international education, Education New Zealand (ENZ).
Emma McDonough Faucher, a college student from Castleton in the state of Vermont, was one of 1089 applicants from 615 US
universities to apply for the scholarship, and impressed the selection panel with her knowledge of New Zealand and
desire to understand and experience the Kiwi lifestyle and culture, including Māoritanga.
Emma says she has always dreamed about studying abroad, with New Zealand being particularly attractive as an education
destination. Emma says, “I have wanted to study abroad my entire life and New Zealand has been my goal.
Māori culture is one of the things I am especially looking forward to learning about – I find it interesting that Maori
people describe themselves by their tribe (iwi), sub-tribe (hapū), mountain (maunga), and river (awa).”
“The creativity and passion of Emma’s submission distinguished it from the large number of other very impressive
applications. The fact that she plays rugby also makes this a good match!” says ENZ’s Regional Director for The
Americas, Lisa Futschek.
US students choose New Zealand as an education destination because of the unique study experience we offer here – a
high-quality education in an English-speaking country with a distinct culture and lifestyle. US students who come here
are often adventure seekers who enjoy the great outdoors and like to get off the beaten track, but also want to enjoy
the vibrant city life.
They know they can experience all these things, and attain a globally-recognised qualification, in New Zealand.”
ENZ partnered with leading study abroad advisory service, Go Overseas, who ran a six week campaign across the US from 1
September to 15 October. During this time over 26,000 people visited the campaign page, and 2,600 study abroad advisers
and over 1500 universities were contacted and notified of the scholarship.
Leads from scholarship applicants and others who registered interest have been referred to participating New Zealand
education providers.
Ms Futschek says, “As well as giving a lucky student the chance to study in New Zealand, campaigns such as this are an
important part of ENZ’s work to raise awareness around the world of New Zealand’s high-quality education offering.”
About Education New Zealand
Education New Zealand (ENZ) is the New Zealand Government’s agency for international education. ENZ works to grow
awareness of New Zealand as a study destination and to support New Zealand education providers and businesses in taking
their services and products abroad.
ENDS