Caleb Cribb: Te Ao Māori Scholarship Recipient Winner

Our Theta Te Ao Māori Technology Scholarship supports undergraduate university students of Māori descent in Technology or Computer Science fields, with our commitment of $5,000 per annum for up to three years towards their studies.

Caleb received the second scholarship, which we recently introduced in addition to our existing scholarship place, and joins our current scholarship recipient Kiisha-Rose Woodhouse.

Caleb is studying for a Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences, double majoring in Networks & Cybersecurity and Software Development at Auckland University of Technology (AUT).

He grew up in Papakura in South Auckland, and although he has affiliations to many iwi, his primary one is Te Ati Haunui-a-Pāpārangi (Ruapehu/Whanganui area).

He is the second youngest of 10 siblings in his family and the first to pursue an education in IT – but he’s a man of many talents, filling his time with basketball, swimming, and gaming.

“My interest in IT began in high school, where I enjoyed coding and created a couple of simple games using Scratch. Before pursuing my degree, I worked with troubled youth and then as a support person for boys on the spectrum. However, during one of the last lockdowns, I found myself out of work, so I decided to change. Since I was spending a lot of time on my computer, I thought a career in IT would be a good fit for me.”

As part of our scholarship, Caleb will also join our Te Ao Māori group, helping us with activities and events throughout the year.

“I chose Theta because they provide IT solutions to various companies, and since I hope to start my own business someday, I thought it would be a great place to learn the ropes of the IT industry.”

By the sounds of things, we think you’ve chosen a very fitting career path, Caleb, and we’re excited to watch your growth with us over the coming year.