Ethan Beach heads off shortly to begin his tertiary studies with a scholarship to help him on his way.

The recent graduate from Ōpōtiki College has won a Bay of Plenty Education Trust Science, Technology and Emerging Industries Scholarship, which he received at a special ceremony in Whakatāne last week.

Ethan was one of six Eastern Bay recipients of the $6000 scholarship, which will be paid in instalments during his years of study. Sixteen Western Bay of Plenty students also received a scholarship.

Ethan, the son of Bodine Atkins and Zane Beach, will attend Waikato University to study computer science.

Known as “a quiet achiever”, he topped his year academically at school in 2025.

Ethan told the Ōpōtiki News that his chosen field of study should be no big surprise. He studied digital technology at college, but his interest in computers started long before that.

“I started playing computer games when I was really young – about seven. They amazed me and I wanted to look into how that part of computers worked and wondered if I could do something that involved that.

“I definitely want my career to involve computers. A few ideas I have in mind would be to make computer games and/or be a computer science teacher,” Ethan said.

The scholarships are awarded annually to students from schools across the coastal Bay of Plenty.

Trust chairman, Nick Earl, says the trust, which has been operating since 1985, has now assisted over 450 students through their science, technology and emerging industries scholarships.

That’s more than $2.2 million gifted in supportive funding, with the scholarship amount increasing over the years.

The trust is firmly committed to investing in tertiary education for the Bay’s young people and Mr Earl’s message to students was to remember that education is a powerful tool.

“The transformative value education has on youth and communities should not be underestimated,” he said.

Ethan said he was very appreciative of the scholarship, both for the money and for the faith put in him.

This year’s other Eastern Bay recipients are Mieka Miller (Rangitaiki College, Abeleye Turner-Manzonza (Tarawera College), Leah Bowe-Green (Trident High School), Rubi Kennedy and Harleen Kaur (Whakatāne High School).

The trust’s community reach continues to extend. In 2021, supplementary grants were established to expand the trust’s support for young people.

Recent recipients include Graeme Dingle–Project K, House of Science, Youth Encounter Programmes and Blue Light Ventures.