Kupe leadership scholars taking it in their stride

Stephanie Cooper, one of 16 Kupe Leadership Scholars in 2019, isn’t letting a pandemic send her off-course. It may just be a matter of delaying her postgraduate study until the world settles down.

Stephanie has had offers from UK universities to do her masters in psycholinguistics.

“Because of Covid-19, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get over there to start in September … time will tell. If I have to stay in New Zealand, I’m hoping I’ll be able to start my studies online for at least the first semester and then head over in January. That might mean my classes are in the middle of the night but at least I’ll be making progress on something. It might even save me some money, so there’s always a silver lining.”

She says as well as the financial help from her sponsor and mentor, her fellow Kupe scholars had a big impact on her.

“They really opened my mind to different ways of thinking, and I loved all the time we spent together in workshops.”

Being in lockdown reduced the options to earn to save for her postgraduate study, but the scholarship funds have helped. And there’s been a flipside.

“It has been nice to have a break before I jump into a few more years of postgrad. Before the lockdown I was working my usual part-time jobs, as well as doing some work for a literacy research project in primary schools. That work was put off for a while, so at Level 3 I started a new job as a nanny. We also opened our bubble to do some childcare for my baby nephew … it was so nice to spend time with him.”

Stephanie is thinking ahead to her dream job.

“Ideally, I’d be working at a university as a professor of psycholinguistics. I like the idea of balance between research and lecturing.

"I’ve also always been passionate about equity and listening to marginalised voices in science, so I’d love to work on university equity committees as well. I had a chance to see how the Faculty of Science Equity Committee works when I was part of the Science Students’ Association, and I definitely want to be part of something like that.”

Another 2019 Kupe scholar, KDee Aimiti Ma’ia’i (BA, Honours), became the first Pacific woman to be awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford.

“The academic year at Oxford begins in October. They anticipate face-to-face learning to resume then, but I’ve been playing it by ear. In the scheme of disruptions impacting people’s lives, my studies being delayed is not a large issue. It will be what it will be and I’m grateful to have the opportunity – no matter when it happens.”

KDee will do a masters in global and imperial history before beginning her DPhil, the Oxford equivalent of a PhD.

“Finding supervisors for my chosen topic, Pacific development, was a challenge, so I’ve opted to do the same project I would have done in Development Studies but in History under the supervision of James Belich.

"My research is interdisciplinary, so I’ll be able to take part and publish in the likes of public policy, international development and history, for conferences, seminars and journals.

“I had also intended to begin my talanoa-based research throughout the Pacific before my departure. That obviously can’t happen because of the border closures, but that just means I will have to come back home more frequently – no complaints on that front from me!”

KDee has been working in the University’s student engagement and development team in the Faculty of Arts ahead of her Rhodes Scholarship. She was delighted to receive messages from John McCall MacBain, the funder of her scholarship.

“He was a Rhodes Scholar, too, so he has been sending encouragement and advice ahead of my time at Oxford.”

Surita Manoa (BAS) had been offered a role with an architecture firm in Los Angeles for 2020 but that was cancelled, as was the job she’d just begun at Auckland Council.

“I can still pursue overseas work in a few years,” she says philosophically.

“I’ve ended up using isolation time to pursue my own creative endeavours and I’ll be looking for a long-term architecture job once lockdown is over. My mentor, Pip Cheshire, has been in touch to offer some advice as to where I should apply.” 

Olivia Soesbergen completed her masters in public policy in November and began a ‘dream job’ in June. She’s working for the Government in a senior advisory role focusing on disability rights.

She says the Kupe scholarship helped her understand the true meaning of leadership.

“I learnt that leadership wasn’t a basic set of skills, it’s a way of being. We had the privilege of meeting many New Zealand leaders who all spoke of a similar theme: the importance of serving others. It brought me to the realisation I wanted more than to ‘climb a career ladder’.

“I want an occupation that allows me to make a positive impact on others’ lives. My mentor, Minnie Baragwanath, is a pioneer for accessibility in New Zealand and taught me it’s possible to transform a passion into an occupation and improve the lives of many in doing so.”