Fourteen students are recipients of Samoa Stationery and Books (S.S.A.B.) scholarship awards for the 2022 academic year.

The scholarship recipients, comprising 10 college and four primary school students, were presented with their scholarship awards on Thursday morning at the S.S.A.B. Conference Centre in town.

The presentation of the company’s “I am number one back-to-school scholarship awards” was attended by parents, school principals and teachers of the selected awardees together with S.S.A.B. employees.

The students were nominated for the scholarships by their school principals and teachers. They received certificates together with $500 tala cash and vouchers valued at $500. Two of the award recipients were from the big island of Savai’i.

S.S.A.B. Chief Executive Officer, Tofilau Fiti Leung Wai, acknowledged the support of the parents and the school principals who nominated the award recipients for this school year.

“First of all I would like to thank our heavenly father for this wonderful opportunity for us to be gathered here today, I also would like to thank the parents for bringing your children this morning,” she said.

“I would also like to thank the school principals who nominated the recipients of S.S.A.B. Scholarship Awards.

“The full name of the scholarship awards that will be given out today is the S.S.A.B. New Zealand’s Prime Minister Junior Fellow Award.”

The inaugural recipients of the S.S.A.B. New Zealand’s Prime Minister Junior Fellow Award in 2015 were Grace Ah Young and Joyce Marie according to Tofilau. The award was created by the company to mark the year its C.E.O. was the sole recipient of the New Zealand Prime Minister’s Fellow Award.

“I was inspired to start this scholarship award in 2015, that was seven years ago when New Zealand's former Prime Minister the Right Honourable, To’osavili John Key chose me to be the sole awardee from Samoa for the New Zealand’s Prime Ministers Fellow Award,” said Tofilau.

She said as the award’s recipient she traveled to N.Z. that year where she met the former Kiwi Prime Minister and upon her return to Samoa her company created the S.S.A.B. New Zealand’s Prime Minister Junior Fellow Award.

The recipients of the New Zealand’s Prime Minister’s Fellow Award presented by the N.Z. Government is normally awarded to those who show strong leadership skills and are very active in community work.

The four selected primary school award recipients are as follows: Misao Takazawa Lafaele (Year 3), Palepa Samoafinauimealelei Gray (Year 3) and Faith Faava (Year 8) at Vaipuá Fogasavai’i Primary School and Elepise Vaela’a (Year 8) at Tutaga Primary School.

And the 10 college or secondary school students are as follows: Aukusitino Manupo (Year 9, St Joseph's College); Hilamor Faalele (Wesley College); Lepule Samuelu (Year 11, Faleata College); Margaret Alosio (Leififi College); Katherine Lene Aloi (Pesega College); Miracle Logologo (Year 12, Avele College); Kiara Ross (Year 13, Robert Louis Stevenson's College); Brenda Faitele (Year 13, Malua Fou College) and Antonio Manu (Year 13, Samoa College).