Stoke woman awarded $3000 education grant

Stoke resident Hayley McPherson has been awarded a $3,000 education grant from Soroptimist International of Waimea.

Hayley is currently in her final year of a Bachelor of Teaching and Learning at Canterbury University’s Nelson campus.

“I’m sure there are lots of people out there who are quite deserving of the grant, so I’m very privileged that I was chosen.”

The grant is available to select women aged 25 and up, who live in the Nelson/Tasman area while undertaking full-time study.

“It’s really set me up for my final year, as well as buying teaching resources for my classroom,” Hayley says.

Growing up, she says she didn’t have a strong relationship with her family and instead formed close relationships with her teachers.

“I really enjoyed school because of that reason,” Hayley says. “That’s what inspired me to get into teaching.”

At age 17, Hayley had to leave Nayland College midway through Year 13 to give birth to her daughter.

“When I had her, I actually went into a course at NMIT for physical education and nutrition,” she says. “I could never just be a stay-at-home mum, as much as I enjoyed it, I always needed to be busy doing something.”

One of her placements on that course saw Hayley teaching children about health and nutrition.

“I knew that was where I was meant to be, working with children in some shape or form.”

She then pursued her Bachelor of Teaching and Learning and has had two other kids in meantime.

Hayley says that balancing her three children and working towards her degree is hard.

“I’m lucky enough to have an amazing relationship with my partner’s parents, I love them,” Hayley says. “They’re so good with the kids. They’ve been a great support for me while I’ve been studying.”

On top of being a mother of three and studying towards her degree, Hayley is  also a support worker.

“I’m really passionate about helping people,” Hayley says. “I didn’t grow up with much support from my family, so I think I’ve always had a strong desire to help people.”

But once she completes her bachelor’s degree, she doesn’t want to stop there. A master’s degree is on Hayley’s horizon.

“Whatever I choose to do, whether it’s behaviour management or special ed teaching, that’s where I see myself ending up.”

The Waimea Soroptimists’ panel noted Hayley’s “resilience and determination to succeed academically” in their announcement of their decision to award her the grant.

This is the ninth year the Waimea Soroptimist Club has offered its annual education grant to local women engaged in tertiary study.