Talented Auckland Student Wins Prestigious Zonta Award

Talented Auckland Student Wins Prestigious Zonta International Young Women in Public Affairs Award

Emilly Fan has been named as the recipient of a Zonta International and a Zonta International New Zealand District 16 (Zonta) Young Women in Public Affairs Award.

Nominated by the Zonta Club of Auckland North Shore, Emilly is currently a Year 13 student at Takapuna Grammar School and is interested in combining the application of environmental principles with sound business practices.

Amongst her many activities Emilly founded an Amnesty International group two years ago at her school which has grown to be the largest co-curricular group with over 150 students. She is a Prefect, founder of the Girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) & Enterprise Group, a house leader and Peer Service Leader. In 2016 she was awarded the prestigious School Spirit and All-Round Cup. For the past three years she has been the environmental group leader organising tree planting and Takapuna Beach and school clean ups. Emilly is an active volunteer in the community, describing her volunteer activities as “more a lifestyle than a sporadic pursuit”.

She hopes to study Commerce and Environmental Science at university and would like to secure work in an international organisation that promotes human rights and sustainable development such as the United Nations.

Emilly was presented with her awards at the Zonta biennial conference in Christchurch on 24th September 2017 by District 16 Governor Janet Hope (QSM) who describes Emilly as “an intelligent, compassionate and determined young woman with an exciting future ahead of her.”

“The calibre of applicants for these awards is extremely high. Ten international recipients are selected each year and Emilly’s application was one of 1,233 submitted to 314 clubs worldwide.”
The criteria she was judged on were:

• Active commitment to volunteerism
• Experience in local government, student government or workplace leadership
• Volunteer leadership achievements
• Knowledge of ZI and its programmes
• Support of the Zonta mission of empowering women worldwide through Service and Advocacy
The Young Women in Public Affairs programme was established by Zonta International in 1990, recognising that to bring about real change we must engage future generations of female leaders now.
The goal of the programme is to encourage young women to participate in public affairs by recognising a commitment to the volunteer sector, evidence of volunteer leadership achievements and a dedication to empowering women worldwide through service and advocacy.
The New Zealand Award is supported by generous sponsorship from Kepa Financial Services.
Applications for the 2018 YWPA Award are currently being sought by Zonta clubs across New Zealand. Applications can be located at www.zonta.org.nz or www.zonta.org.

Zonta is a global organisation of executives and professionals working together to empower women through service and advocacy. For more information please visit www.zonta.org.nz or www.zonta.org. Find us on Facebook: Zonta District 16.

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