After hearing the news, he said he and his wife Charissa worked hard to try and ensure she would be able to join him.
Their dream came true and she was awarded a scholarship worth around $500,000 to study theatre, at the same university.
“It honestly doesn’t feel real yet, I am still in shock,” she said.
Charissa on a visit to Duke campus, Durham.
The former Kerikeri High student said she had dreamed of studying at Duke since childhood. Born in the US, she moved to New Zealand as a toddler and said some of her family members also attended the prestigious university.
“My sister-in-law studied there and we visited a couple of times when I was little. I just fell in love with the school spirit. Everyone was so excited about everything that was happening on campus.”
She said applying in the American university system was different to New Zealand and more intense than she expected. It involved multiple rounds, extensive essays and a separate needs-based scholarship process.
But after the daunting process, she is now one of 25 international students to be awarded the scholarship.
The scholarship covers tuition, accommodation and some meal costs for her four-year course.
She said the scholarship will ease the pressure of studying in the US.
“It’s such a relief knowing I can actually focus on my studies and not constantly worry about the costs.”
The couple will begin their studies together in August after M’lago took a gap year to increase the chance they could attend the same university.
“When I got in last year it was already such a big change for our lives. I decided to take a leap of faith and wait, knowing the chances were really small. Duke’s acceptance rate is around 4.8%, so it felt like a long shot.”
He said having both of them accepted, with no student debt felt like everything they had worked for had paid off.
“We get to go together, live the same dream and graduate at the same time. It feels very rewarding.”
They are set to be part of the 2030 graduating class, but they said they would come back to New Zealand once their studies are complete.
“We really care about New Zealand and want to bring our stories and take it to a bigger stage. There is so much talent here that deserves to be seen,” Charissa said.
They will leave for Duke in August.