Orewa College students Mia Che, Christine Cooke, and Bhavitha Kotra shine in the 2025 GirlBoss programmes, earning national recognition.

Celebrating success in technology and leadership

Orewa College ākonga Mia Che, Christine Cooke, and Bhavitha Kotra are making their mark in the prestigious GirlBoss programmes, a network of over 17,500 young women dedicated to gender equity in STEM and leadership.

Their journey began with GirlBoss Edge: Sustainability, a ten-day online course held during the April school holidays. There they connected with more than 200 other young women and took part in the Sustainability Challenge. Building on that success, they were accepted into GirlBoss: Tech for Good during the July holidays, where they engaged with inspiring leaders such as Dr Kerry McInerney and Lucy Blakiston.

The students’ commitment was recognised with standout results. Christine was named a top 30 finalist, Mia was named a top 9 winner in the 2025 GirlBoss Tech for Good Challenge, and all three received recognition, including a copy of Lucy Blakiston’s book Make It Make Sense.

At the recent Crimson Education conference, GirlBoss NZ founder Alexia Hilbertidou acknowledged their consistent impact. “I always recognise your names for these GirlBoss programmes, it’s the girls from Orewa!” she said.

Their achievements highlight the passion and leadership of Orewa College students, and their example is already inspiring their peers to take up new opportunities.

Photo credit: Mia Che