Cambridge dance teacher Courtney Richmond has been awarded one of two Waikato University Hillary medals.
The 24-year-old is head of the dance department at Ignite Arts Academy.
Courtney Richmond
Academy director Maxine Nelson said Courtney was “an amazing young woman who constantly brings out the best in those she works with, both teachers and students.”
Hillary medals are awarded to high achieving Sir Edmund Hillary scholars – the university’s premier school leaver scholarship and are students who completely embody the key pillars of the Hillary Scholarship – excelling in a sporting, creative or performing art area, have high academic achievement and show strong leadership qualities.
She graduated from the university in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English and Theatre Studies and more recently, completed her Master of Arts Thesis which focussed on the leadership and facilitation of inclusive dance practices in New Zealand, and its impacts on surrounding communities.
Courtney was born in Levin and raised on the family beef and deer farm in Te Horo.
The scholarship, established at the university in 2005, numbers among its graduates students who excelled in academia, leadership, sports or creative and performing arts.
Read more: Waikato University student proves anyone can dance.
Courtney enjoys seeing her students achieve those “little lightbulb moments” as they explore “how their body moves in space and with others”. Photo: Life Unlimited.
