Hannah Neilson received a UCOL | Te Pūkenga Excellence scholarship in 2016 to help cover the costs of studying a degree. Now over half-way through the Bachelor of Nursing programme, Hannah is enjoying the opportunities she has to put her classroom learnings into practice.
In 2016 UCOL | Te Pūkenga awarded five Excellence Scholarships to secondary school students to help cover the costs of studying for a degree at UCOL | Te Pūkenga for the following three years. Each scholarship was worth $9,000, with $3,000 going towards each student’s fees each year of study.
Hannah, a former
Whanganui High School student, says she didn’t decide until her final year of school to study Nursing, but she’s glad she made that choice.
Hannah says the most enjoyable part of her studies has been the clinical placements. In her first year Hannah was placed at Marton’s
Edale Aged Care Centre, while this year she has become more hands-on in the medical ward at
Whanganui Hospital.
“I had no idea what to expect from my first placement, but I learnt a lot from it. I used what I learnt at Edale and brought it to the hospital. Even though it wasn’t as practical as in the hospital, Edale was really rewarding. I learnt a lot about patient care; how to talk to patients, listening to them, and just being with them, because that’s a big part of nursing,” says Hannah.
Hannah says the Excellence Scholarship has helped keep her Student Loan balance down.
“The scholarship has been so much help. It’s such a blessing to have
scholarships because it makes things so much easier in the end.”
Hannah’s dedication to her studies has not gone unnoticed, as she was awarded a
Wanganui Rotary Club Scholarship at the UCOL | Te Pūkenga
Whanganui Campus scholarships ceremony in June this year.
Hannah hopes to work in Whanganui after she finishes her degree, and eventually wants to take her nursing skills overseas.
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