Monday 23rd September 2024

During my time at Waitaki Boys, I was committed to becoming a full-time professional musician, for which I had enormous support from the school, teachers, friends, and family. Because of this, it seemed appropriate that I head to the University of Otago for a Bachelor of Music. When I arrived, I was exposed to such a diversity of talented people from across New Zealand and around the world. Having grown up on a small farm in Oamaru, my perspectives were certainly (and fortunately) challenged. I was inspired to cultivate my personal character, and I took the opportunity to become a Collegiate Community Leader (Sub-Warden) within the residential colleges. While I fostered meaningful relationships with thousands of students across the years, I developed a deep concern for the prevalence of mental illness among my student community. Despite my concerns, I also became very curious about the human mind in the context of pain, suffering, and mental wellness, which sparked my initial curiosity for neuroscience.

It was challenging to completely change my career path from musician to neuroscientist, but fortunately, there was no reason I couldn’t do both. I decided to undertake a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience. I became particularly fascinated by the emerging field of non-invasive wearable technologies in treating disorders of the nervous system, especially having recognised the limitations of traditional pharmaceutical treatments throughout my work in student leadership. This led me to conduct my Master of Science in Neuroscience focusing on non-invasive neuromodulation for asthma, a condition very personal to me. Fortunately, I made a discovery that represents a significant advancement in respiratory care, and I am now working to develop a new medical device to combat the life-threatening nature of asthma attacks. My studies have also landed me an extremely fulfilling role as a Clinical Trials Associate at Pacific Edge Ltd., a cancer diagnostics company who aim to improve the lives of patients with bladder cancer. My next steps are to pursue my PhD in neuroscience focusing on the therapeutic potential of neuromodulation, with the ultimate goal of making these novel technologies accessible to the New Zealand healthcare system.

Don’t be afraid to change your career path if you believe it will allow you to fulfil your maximum potential - it took me an entire university degree to realise that this was possible. Try as many different things as you can, because having a diverse range of experiences will open more doors in your life than you could possibly imagine.

As a proud Waitakian from Oamaru, I am honoured to be representing New Zealand on the global stage of science and innovation.

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