Meet Tua

Malo e lelei I’m Tua,

I am a member of the Student 360 programme in 2021 and I am a Year 13 student from Pukekohe High School.

My family home is built on a foundation of faith, which I am also passionate about. We are a tight-knit bunch consisting of me, my parents, older and younger brother. My parents are both immigrants from Tonga, we are modernized incorporating traditional values as-well as speak Tongan in our household. Growing faith in myself and others are vital to me. I am also passionate about progressing in my skills and interests, and I enjoy caring for others, so I guess that’s a passion.

Since joining Student 360, I have taken part in real world work experience where I was able to experience the World of Work and explore my interests further.

During my work experience, the Student 360 team made sure we were comfortable getting to our placement. We really enjoyed Mary picking us up and taking us to and from work. Even though we eventually learnt how to independently navigate the city, I still enjoyed having Mary from the Student 360 team around, it was comforting to have her support.

The Student 360 work experience is so good and has broadened the opportunities for work experience through schools and we are not limited to just one industry.

The Student 360 team has been supporting me in every way, I never felt like I had to go through it alone and they encouraged me to go outside my comfort zone and complete a new challenge everyday of my work experience. E.g. Make a new friend, explore a new lunch place, reflection time.

By being a part of Student 360, I have learnt many skills that I am excited to apply to my life after high school. These are:

• Critical Thinking

• Communicating my ideas in an effective way

• Confidently presenting myself in a group situation e.g. in meetings, in the office

• Using and navigating specific technologies

Through what I have already experienced being part of Student 360, I have decided to pursue Finance and Business Management at University once I graduate High School. I am so excited to embark on my career journey and apply my Student 360 learnings to my everyday life.