The first day of school can be a scary prospect for any student, and the first day of university can be just as daunting.

But for Anaru Palmer and Leah Owen, departing head prefects of Tauranga Boys' and Tauranga Girls' Colleges, there'll be at least one familiar face at the University of Waikato when they start in February.

Both have opted to study at the university's new campus in Tauranga. Leah has enrolled in a Bachelor of Social Sciences majoring in Psychology, while Anaru will be amongst the first cohort of students in Te Tohu Paetahi - a one-year diploma in te reo Maori taught as a full immersion programme.

The pair, who met seven years ago in their Tauranga Intermediate accelerate class, are excited to be kicking off a new year with new opportunities.

Initially, Anaru was considering a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws at Waikato's Hamilton campus, but says the 'game changer” was discovering that Te Tohu Paetahi was being taught in Tauranga in 2019.

Of Ngai Te Rangi and Ngati Ranginui descent, Anaru believes that this is the start of a journey to greater connectedness – to his language, whanau, iwi, turangawaewae of Matakana Island, and to himself.

In year 11, Anaru joined the school's bilingual unit, Aronui, where he became involved in Manu Korero, kapa haka, and took on more leadership roles.

Chosen as head boy last year, many of his peers were likely unaware that Anaru had always found school a challenging environment.

Diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome at the age of four, Anaru had to learn the social and communication skills he needed to make friends and concentrate on classwork.

'Mum told me recently that she thinks my way of seeing the world is a gift, not a disability,” says Anaru. 'I'm not one to blow my own trumpet, but I'm pretty happy with what I've achieved.”

And achieve he has. Anaru claimed numerous awards at his Year 13 prize giving including a

First in level 3 Te Reo Maori, Ngati Pukenga Rangatiratanga Award for leadership, Norman Morris Prize for Head Prefect, Monte Ohia Trophy for top Maori student, and the prestigious Silver Spoon service award.

He was particularly ecstatic when he received the University of Waikato Te Ara Whanui and Tauranga Campus First-in-Family Scholarships, worth a total of $11,000.

Recalling one of the last conversations he had with his beloved Nan, who lost her battle with lung cancer in 2017, Anaru says it sums up the direction he's chosen for himself this year.

'Nan told me to look after my heart, and her words resonate with everything I have planned for this year.

'For me, the timing is perfect to continue pursuing this passion and the chance to fast track my learning in te reo is too good an opportunity to pass up. It's about honouring my identity and culture, and developing myself as a person.”

As soon as Leah heard the University of Waikato's new campus in Tauranga was opening, she began picturing herself in the new city campus.

She says she originally had her sights set on becoming a teacher until a change in family circumstances took her in another direction.

The catalyst to study psychology came about when her parents separated two years ago and Leah saw a psychologist to help process the changes happening in her family.

'I remember leaving the psychologist's office with the realisation that that's what I wanted to do. I want to be there for people when they need it the most,” she says.

It's fair to say that giving back is important to Leah. An accomplished sportswoman, Leah played representative hockey for various teams over the years, and also captained a few. She was in the first XI team at Tauranga Girls' for five years before an ongoing foot injury forced her to stop.

Throughout high school she served on various school committees and councils and thrived in her role as 2018 Head Girl, receiving several academic and service accolades.

But the icing on the cake was being awarded a coveted Te Paewai o te Rangi: University of Waikato Scholarship for Outstanding Academic Achievement, worth $25,000.

'When I got the email I was sitting in my car waiting to see someone from the university to talk about course selection,” she says.

'I started screaming - tears of joy were just pouring out and I had to steady my hands because my phone was shaking so much I couldn't reread the email to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

'By the time I rang mum to tell her the news she thought I'd been in an accident because I was still crying and talking so fast!”