Sophie Mentink says the English skills she learnt at St Andrew’s College equipped her well for both her tertiary studies, and her new job as a lawyer in the corporate team at Russell McVeagh, in Auckland. “I use English every day in my work, which could be anything from dealing with colleagues, to drafting and making presentations. English was also a fundamental skill for both of my degrees.”

In 2018, Sophie graduated from the University of Otago with a double degree in Law (with Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in Political Science). She spent the end of last year travelling around South America, before moving to Auckland for her new job.

She looks back fondly on the 13 years she spent at St Andrew’s, where, in her final year, she achieved a New Zealand Scholarship in English. “I was lucky to have encouraging and compassionate English teachers like Dr Jeni Curtis, who made the subject so interesting.” Although sad that her student days are now behind her, Sophie is excited to be putting all she has learnt into practice in her work. “It is great to be starting real work and getting a feel for what it actually means to have a Law degree.”