Source: University of Canterbury
27 June 2022
One of six students to win the University of Canterbury’s second-year award for excellence, Courtney Comley chose to study a Bachelor of Commerce at UC because of her love for maths, politics and a more equitable society. A major in Economics ticked all those boxes for her.
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Bachelor of Commerce student Courtney Comely
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 – Quality Education
First in her immediate family to attend university, encouraged she says by great friends and peers, she has achieved one of the highest-grade point averages at UC for second year students and been awarded a Reserve Bank Scholarship, which provides funding, a mentor for three years, and career advice.
Courtney says, she was chilling with friends who were talking about internships when she decided to have look at the Reserve Bank for internship opportunities and saw the scholarship. “It closed the next day, I decided to go for it anyway, just in case and the whole process including the interview was really good.”
At UC Courtney joined QCanterbury, a natural progression from the community Courtney was involved in at high school. “I’m a part of the Rainbow Community and one of my good friends is the Vice-President, so it is something I’m passionate about which is important to me when taking on extra-curricular activities.”
As a QCanterbury executive she has seen massive growth over the past year. “I think UC genuinely tries to amplify minority voices. The community’s become more accepting – a few years ago it was a struggle to get members, now we can barely fit everyone into events due to growth,” she says.
Courtney is already thinking about life after UC and while she is still unsure about what to do next, her aim is to do something she loves.
“I’ve started tutoring people as my job. The only thing I want when I’m older is to genuinely enjoy the day to day. I love uni, and want to keep that joy.”
The support from UC student advisors and lecturers helped Courtney plan courses for a degree that she is passionate about, something she believes will help her into a career she’ll love
And her advice for people new to UC is “don’t be afraid to change your mind. If you decide at high school that you really love physics and want to go into engineering, and after semester one you find it’s not for you, change. Get a degree you care about, because there is a higher chance you’ll like the job on the other side.”
Media contact:
- Email: media@canterbury.ac.nz Ph: (03) 369 3631 or 027 503 0168
