Ethyn Sturm

I joined Pinnacle towards the end of my high school career. Growing up I was raised by a single parent and did not have many material resources to pursue opportunities to develop myself. I made a decision when I was young to take every opportunity I could. Applying for the Pinnacle Programme was one of these.

As a young person I was very reserved and quiet, my preference was to work independently rather than with others. Pinnacle taught me the value of working with others as a team towards common goals and helped me understand what good and bad teamwork and leadership looks like. The experiences I had throughout my Pinnacle journey allowed me to realise what I can do, it put me in challenging positions in which I overcame fears and saw the limitless potential of individuals working together.

Over the last several years, alongside my involvement in the Pinnacle Programme, I have contributed to a supplementary shadow report to the United Nations on Child Rights in New Zealand, worked with other young people through various means to help realise their passions and how to achieve them, completed a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science with Honours, and since 2020 led the delivery of major aspects of New Zealand’s successful COVID-19 response. I attribute Pinnacle as a large factor in possessing the skills required to be successful in these and my future endeavours.