“In grade 4, I didn’t meet the national standards and almost had to repeat that year. »

But once diagnosed, and with the help of many teachers, she said the support systems, from primary school to middle school and then on to Taupōnui-a-Tia College, helped her.

“It is thanks to these people that I was able to give the best of myself. And my friends, my family, everyone like that, I’m grateful.

Leusink said she was inspired to aim high in 9th grade, after reading an article about a dux in a previous year.

“I thought that was so cool, maybe that could be a goal for me.”

She said she doesn’t see herself as a poster child for success with a learning disability, but she recognizes the fact that she and upcoming runner-up of the year Nicholas Steed are triumphing over their challenges.

“We’re kind of a power duo when it comes to learning disabilities, it’s quite funny.”

Leusink said that although she always struggled with words on the page, she discovered a love for them, and her Year 13 course choices involved language-rich subjects – history, geography, statistics, classics, English.

She said she particularly enjoyed history thanks to her teacher of four years, Roger Gregory, and was also taking the scholarship exam for that subject.

She plans to study law in Auckland, bolstered by a high-level scholarship from the University of Auckland, as well as a joint Bachelor of Arts focusing on international relations and history.

His interest in this issue was piqued by his participation in New Zealand’s Model United Nations in Wellington in August.

“Representing countries, learning about politics, it was really fun… (I realized) there was a whole other world of opportunities, in things like international relations and politics. It opened my eyes to the world and the possibilities available to me.

Law school — five years for a joint degree, then more for a master’s degree and perhaps a doctorate — could easily occupy the next decade of her life, she said.

“After that I want to find something that will allow me to travel, probably go back to my family in the Netherlands (where she was born and where her mother and father’s family are from) and do something thing in business or internationally. »

But Leusink is sure she will return to Taupo from time to time to take a break from the pressure of studying.

Taupōnui-a-Tia proximity accessit Nicholas Steed has achieved NCEA Level 1 and Level 2 Excellence Commendations and is on track for a Level 3 Excellence Commendation, Deputy Principal Stephen Fowler said.

“He is a very intelligent young man, a mathematician/scientist with a gift for English.”