Sendhil Rungasamy – RNZCT / Countdown Scholarship + UBIQ Voucher. Bachelor of Health Sciences – University of Auckland

Sendhil is both academically and community driven. Some of his outstanding achievements include being elected student Representative on the Board of Trustees at Tawa College for 2018/2019 and a Tawa College 2020 Prefect, appointed the Chairperson for the Year 12 student council. A leader of A-Z, the Tawa College LGBTQI+ group to build greater equality within the community. This included workshops on Gender Identity and LGBTQI+ sexual education and New Zealand’s history in terms of the LGBTQI+ community.

Sendhil assisted in organising Tawa College’s first ever PRIDE week, educating students and staff, this week included a “show your pride” mufti day, educational video, quizzes on LGBTQI+ matters and fundraising events such as bake sales to raise money for Rainbow Youth. Sendhil also volunteered in an initiative that helped elderly individuals during the lockdown, which included grocery deliveries and calling to keep them company.

Senhil is an avid singer and part of Tawa’s Barbershop Chorus, Acapellas and Blue Notes, Tawa’s auditioned chamber choir which was awarded a gold award at the 2019 Big Sing National Finale.

Sendhi helped Tawa’s education tutoring services by offering free weekly tutoring services for both inside and outside of school, also a recipient of both the Porirua Youth Awards and the Rotary Leadership Award.

Public health and medicine are a passion for Sendhil, and it is the industry he aspires to help make a difference in the hopes of being a paediatric oncologist. “Cancer patients are increasing exponentially as years go on and at a rate where there is also an increasing number of patients without doctors and on waiting lists as there just isn’t enough out there that are specialized in oncology”.

We know Sendhil we continue to be of great service to both the Rainbow community and the wider community at large.