Student showcase

Adam Goodall

Adam first became involved with the Royal Society of New Zealand through pure fluke, according to the man himself. “I was told one day by the head of department of geography at my school that one of my assessments had been entered into a national geography competition, and I didn’t think I was going to win,” Adam says, “but, a couple of months later, I found out I’d won, and that attending Realise the Dream was tacked on as an added bonus.”

Since that day late in October when he found out about the news, things have been going from strength to strength for the 18-year-old ex-Palmerston North Boys’ High School (PNBHS) student. Before the announcement that he would be attending Realise the Dream, Adam had been selected to represent his high school at both 2007 Youth CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) and the 2007 NZ APEC Voices of Tomorrow event, both in Wellington. Later that year, he won several tertiary study scholarships, including scholarships from the Fitzherbert Lions organisation in Palmerston North, Victoria University, and the New Zealand Dairy Worker’s Union. Then, in December, Adam attended his final school prizegiving (a tough decision, as it fell on the same night as the Realise the Dream awards dinner at Government House), where he came in the top five academic students in the school (and the only one of those five to specialise in arts and humanities subjects) and became the first recipient of the Burton Cup for Senior Drama at PNBHS. His academic success internally at PNBHS was complimented externally when he received his NZQA Scholarship results in February, revealing he had achieved Scholarships in English, Drama (the first in his high school), Classical Studies, Geography and Media Studies, along with an Outstanding Scholarship in History – a result which has netted him $5000 a year for three years.

Now, Adam is attending Victoria University, where he is working towards a double degree in Law and Arts, the Arts degree majoring in Film. “University is amazing,” says Adam, “as there are so many opportunities to expand my academic knowledge and a lot more opportunities to go out and socialise. And Wellington is such a cool city to be studying in, as it has this amazing cultural scene that can’t be matched in New Zealand.” Adam intends to use his degree as a springboard in the law profession, the initial step in his ‘Big Plan’, as he calls it. “I aim to work up enough money from working in law to eventually make viable my ultimate aim – to jet over to the US or England and try my hand at being a professional screenwriter and director.” Of course, Adam’s first to admit it’s a high-flying dream, but he says he doesn’t mind. “If I fail, I fail,” Adam says. “Not that I intend to.”

Adam is also doing papers in Theatre, Philosophy, Political Studies and English Literature at Victoria University, playing on his extra-curricular interests. When not studying, these extra-curricular interests include acting, writing, reading, watching films (something Adam refers to as the “ultimate art form”) and public speaking (only on special occasions).