The highlight of the Pathways calendar is graduation. This year’s graduation ceremony was held last week. 23 students were conferred with a New Zealand Diploma in Christian Studies, and a number of those graduates who have distinguished themselves in various ways also received special awards:
Level 5:
Ariana Goodwin
Arron Hockly (Hewlett Award)
Beau O’Brien (Principal’s Award)
Bobby-Jean Russ
Chaeli Sutherland
Eli Swanepoel
Eliza Hobby
Emmanuelle Weilert
Isabella Sandford
Jack Crawford
Kadie Borrows
Levi Panther
Lisiate Sekeni (Student Choice Award)
Maria Lynch
Martin Vorster
Natalie Chambers (Academic Achievement Award - Level 5)
Patrichia Sosa
Rock Tang
Sayuri Onishi
Level 6:
Ane Ponifasio
Dolly Kirubakaran
Joy Fountain (Academic Achievement Award - Level 6)
Katelyn Delemare
This occasion was also significant as it marks the final graduation under the leadership of Dr Francine Bennett. Francine was presented with a custom-carved bone taonga crafted by master carver Andrew Doughty and commissioned by Pathways. One of Francine’s graduating students, Ane Ponifasio, arranged for her daughter Louise, a saxophonist, to play a musical tribute to honour Francine. The ceremony thus served as a way for the Pathways community to express their gratitude to the outgoing principal for her leadership of and service to the college.
Pathways also bid farewell to two long-serving faculty members, Emma Stokes and Craig Ashby. With both facing increasing demands on their time—Emma as she looks to complete her PhD in New Testament and Craig as he pastors a rapidly growing church—they each have made the difficult choice to step down from their faculty positions. Both have been popular lecturers and will be sorely missed.
One standout feature of the ceremony was a multilingual rendition of “What a Beautiful Name”. Assistant Dean Rosie Devery and the worship band led attendees in singing this popular song in the native language of several of our international graduates: Japanese (Sayuri), Tongan (Lisiate) and Tagalog (Patrichia). It was a stirring way to celebrate the success of this culturally diverse body of students.
Once again, we congratulate our graduates on a job well done. We can’t wait to see how the Spirit of God uses you as you partner with him in mission beyond your time at Pathways.
