We recently held our College Prize Givings for Junior School, Years 7-10 and Years 11-13. It’s a wonderful occasion to reflect on the year’s successes and celebrate academic achievements (Prize Giving winners listed here: Junior School, Years 7-10 and Years 11-13).
The pinnacle of the Senior Prize Giving is the announcement of the prestigious title of Dux, which goes to the most outstanding academic student for 2024, who is also a student that displays service and lives ‘By Love Serve’. For the first time this is being awarded to each of our qualification pathways resulting in a Dux NCEA and Dux IB. We are also thrilled to announce Proxime Accessit to the Dux, which this year is a joint award for the first time in many years.
The 2024 Dux originating from the IB pathway, has come joint top in all her subjects this year and is sitting at 45 as her predicted grade for IB. Further to that, during the College practice exams she was awarded the equivalents of a total of nine Scholarships, all sat in one week in the very last week of Term 3, she gained five Outstanding Scholarships and four Standard Scholarships, this speaks for itself of her depth of knowledge. Outstanding effort, Ena Yin.
Ena Yin
Ena is an extraordinary student who has achieved remarkable academic success, including being awarded the Premier Scholar Award and receiving 10 NZ Scholarship Awards in 2023, with four at Outstanding level. As a Year 12 student, she placed 2nd in New Zealand, excelling across multiple disciplines including Art History, Economics, English, Chemistry, and Physics. Her academic achievements are complemented by her selection to national Olympiad teams in Mathematics, Informatics, and Chemistry, where she has consistently demonstrated exceptional skill and potential.
Beyond her academic prowess, Ena is a compassionate and innovative leader. She co-founded U&Earth, a social enterprise addressing period equity, donating 15,000 pads to Fiji schools and being selected as a top 10 team globally at the Young Entrepreneur Summit. Her leadership extends to the Albert-Eden Youth Board, focusing on environmental issues, and she embodies the College motto of ‘By Love Serve’ through her inclusive approach and commitment to making a positive difference in her community. With her exceptional academic abilities, entrepreneurial spirit, and genuine desire to help others, Ena is poised to become a future leader in technology, science, and social innovation.
Ena is the 2024 recipient of Chemistry IB, Mathematics Analysis and Approaches IB, Physics IB, Old Girls’ Association Kathleen Goulding Prize for Latin, University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship
Ena has been invited to Interview for Chemistry at Oxford, Interviewed for Economics and Chemistry Princeton.
Our 2024 Dux originating from the NCEA pathway, is also extremely deserving of this award. A common theme, she again came joint first in every subject. She then went on to claim the equivalent of a record 10 scholarships this year in practice exams, four at Outstanding level and six at Standard level, her scholarly grasp of her subjects is phenomenal, our hearty congratulations to Jifei Shao.
Jifei Shao
Jifei Shao’s academic journey at St Cuthbert’s College has been marked by exceptional achievements across multiple disciplines. Her remarkable success in the Biology Olympiad culminated in representing New Zealand at the International Biology Olympiad in Kazakhstan in 2024, where she earned a Silver medal. Throughout her years, she consistently demonstrated academic excellence, receiving numerous subject prizes in Physics, Classics, and Mathematics with Calculus, while also earning prestigious recognitions including the NZIP Physics Prize and being named an Outstanding Scholar in both Year 11 and Year 12 NCEA.
Beyond academics, Jifei’s dedication to service and leadership has been exemplary. She served as Deputy Head Girl in 2024 and held various leadership positions including Music Leader and Tutor Group Leader. Her commitment to the arts and cultural activities was evident through her roles as a Piano Accompanist for Choirs, involvement in Shakespeare festivals, and participation in various musical groups including Black Watch Singers and Saints Alive Choir. As an Academic Mentor and Debating Coach, she actively contributed to nurturing younger students’ growth, while also serving as a Video Ambassador for St Cuthbert’s. Her completion of all three levels of the Duke of Edinburgh Award – Bronze, Silver, and Gold – further demonstrates her well-rounded character and commitment to personal development.
Jifei is the recipient of Classics NCEA, Mathematics with Calculus NCEA, Physics NCEA, NZIP Physics Prize, Qureshi Family Prize in Physics – Top Academic Award, Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship
Proxime Accessit
This is a special year for the College.
Proxime Accessit is awarded across both pathways as being Latin for “she who ascends most closely”. The students contending for Proxime Accessit have put in an incredible contest and in any other College would be Dux in their own right.
The final two contenders have across all their subjects come Joint top in every subject, and then gone on to gain no less than eight-scholarship awards in the Term 3 mock examinations. This is completely outstanding, only three scholarships ensure you are on the honours board in Clouston Hall for generations to see!
This in itself is too close to call, so for the first time in many years we have a joint proxime accessit.
Our 2024 Proxime Accessit recipients have across all their subjects come joint top in every subject, and then gone on to gain the equivalent of eight Scholarship awards in the Term 3 practice examinations. Congratulations to Belle Yin and Dawn Chen.
Belle Yin
Belle is an exceptional student who has demonstrated remarkable academic and leadership achievements. In 2023, she was awarded the NZ Premier Scholarship, placing her in the top 10 students academically in the country. As a Year 12 student, she gained NZ Scholarship in eight subjects, with Outstanding scholarships in Calculus, Chinese, and Health and Physical Education. Her academic prowess extends to selection in Olympiad training squads for Mathematics and Informatics, and has excelled in the IB program, consistently achieving top grades.
Beyond her academic excellence, Belle is a passionate leader in environmental and social initiatives. She co-founded U&Earth, a social enterprise tackling period poverty, which has donated 15,000 pads to Fiji schools and was selected as a top 10 global team at the Young Entrepreneur Summit. As president of her school’s Environmental Council and coordinator of the Forest & Birds Youth Auckland Hub, she leads conservation efforts and climate action. Her leadership roles include serving on the Albert Eden Youth Board and representing youth voices, embodying the College motto of ‘By Love Serve’. With her remarkable blend of intellectual curiosity and compassionate leadership, Belle is destined to drive meaningful change across global environmental and social challenges.
Belle is the 2024 recipient of Mathematics Analysis and Approaches IB, Qureshi Family Prize in Physics – Top Contribution Award, University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship
Belle has been invited to Interview for Natural Sciences at Cambridge in December, Interviewed for Earth and Planetary Science Stanford.
Dawn Chen
In 2024, Dawn Chen continued to excel academically and in competitive mathematics, achieving significant milestones in her academic journey. She qualified for and won a Bronze medal in the International Mathematics Olympiad, and secured a Silver in the NZ Mathematics Olympiad Competition. Dawn was also selected for the NZ Mathematics Olympiad Squad and achieved a Distinction in the University of Auckland Economics Competition. Her academic prowess was further demonstrated by her performance in the NZ Young Physicists Tournament, where she and her team placed 4th nationally, and she received a Subject Prize in English.
Beyond her academic achievements, Dawn showed remarkable leadership and commitment to extracurricular activities. As the Sustainability Committee Leader, she took on an important role in driving environmental initiatives within her school. Her involvement in cultural activities remained diverse, including participation in the Debating Premier Advanced team and the Australian Maths Competition. Dawn continued her musical pursuits with viola lessons and maintained her involvement in the Black Watch Orchestra. Her multifaceted talents and dedication to both academic and co-curricular pursuits highlight her as a well-rounded and accomplished student.
Dawn is the 2024 recipient of English IB, Parents and Friends’ Award.
Dawn has been invited to Interview for Princeton, semi-finalist for Ellison institute of Technology Scholarship for Oxford University.