Sabrina Salome Wright
Sabrina studied a Bachelor of Laws conjoint with Arts, and went on to complete her Bachelor of Arts with Honours, and a Master of Arts. Sabrina then went on to secure a role supporting the Tuakana Learning Communities, working with Pacific undergraduate students with their journey through university.
The University of Auckland offers a wide range of programmes that will fit the aspirations of any student. They also offer a wide variety of support systems at every level of study from undergraduate through to postgraduate.
Studying law allowed me to hone my skills in critical thinking as well as problem solving. These skills have been fundamental to my approach to research and to my own work. Applying these to real life scenarios combined with own lived experiences has been transformational. The great thing about the skills one learns from law school is that it is transferrable to other roles outside of the legal profession. Studying a Bachelor of Arts, an honours postgraduate, and then a master’s degree in pacific studies provided an avenue for applying critical thinking and problem solving to research. This has been valuable to my own development as a writer and researcher.
My experience at the University of Auckland has been life changing because of the village on campus dedicated to supporting Māori and Pacific students at the university. I was fortunate to have been part of the Tuakana programme here at the university and held various student ambassador roles which enabled me to serve my community on campus. I was also part of the Pacific Island Law Students’ Association (PILSA) and enjoyed being around my peers whilst being at law school.
My degrees have enabled me to work in different sectors and opened the door into the world of research and advisory. I currently work as the Pacific Student Success Adviser at the Office of the Pro Vice Chancellor Pacific at Waipapa Taumata Rau. The critical thinking and problem-solving skills I learnt during my time as a student has been transferrable to this role. This has allowed me to support the work of the Tuakana programme at the University and explore ways of achieving Pacific success at the university.
My current role includes supporting the Tuakana Learning Communities as well as the different programmes set up to develop and achieve Pacific success at the University. Majority of my role is set up to support Pacific undergraduate students and their journeys through university. This means that I work alongside our wider team to implement activities and initiatives that will support the Pacific students academically, pastorally and culturally. This includes developing holistic approaches so that the university is responsive to the needs of Pacific students and their families.