We received many extremely deserving nominees for our Orthodontic Scholarship this year. It was a difficult decision to select the two winners but Lucas Braid from Te Atatu Intermediate and Freya MacEachern Hobsonville Point Secondary School ultimately stood out for their outstanding community contribution.

Lucas Braid

Lucas is an exceptional young person who is year 7 at Te Atatu Intermediate.

Lucas is a dedicated and skilled footballer playing for Auckland United Football Club. He demonstrates strong commitment and leadership within his team and his contributions, skill, and determination helped win many games and tournaments for his team. He is a mentor to many younger club players and always the first to offer to help and guide them with their skills.

He enjoys public speaking and was a finalist in a Slam poetry competition for his poem against racism. He was selected by Les Mills to contribute as a leader for the Born to Move programme which is designed to nurture a life-long love of physical activity in young children.

We congratulate Lucas for being an outstanding role model and can’t wait to transform his smile!

Freya MacEachern

Freya is a year 9 student at Hobsonville Point Secondary School who has always had a keen curiosity and love of learning. She plays netball for her school’s year 10 team and has her umpiring qualification which she uses to umpire younger children at Kidzplay.

She was one was of the student leaders at her school who organised the school cross country. Her influence in others is always positive and she encourages those around her to strive to be better.

Freya is a great role model in her community and has a deep understanding of Te Ao Māori and we are thrilled to award her with the 2022 Orthodontic Scholarship.