Aven Zhuang

“I wanted to study to learn more about the marine environment and help protect it for future generations, which led me to study Marine Science.

“The University of Auckland was my first choice for its reputation and facilities. I have also lived in Auckland my whole life and am attached to this place. So, gaining a scholarship to study here solidified my choice.

“I received the Academic Potential Scholarship (Tier 1) when I graduated high school. Being able to live in halls of residence made my first year very convenient and helped my transition from high school to university.

“I like that the programme covers a wide variety of topics and skills in the first two years. For example, BIOSCI 220 and STATS 201 helped develop my statistical analysis and R skills, while MARINE 100 and 202 included aspects of marine science, from coastal processes and the biology of organisms to global issues like climate change and overfishing. The various topics helped me discover which aspects of marine science interest me.

“My third-year courses included topics on fisheries and aquaculture, marine ecology and conservation, and compulsory courses that were beneficial to developing science communication skills and learning how to write and design academic posters for a general audience.

“I particularly enjoyed my summer research project/scholarship on developing artificial feeds for the nursery culture of green-lipped mussels (Perna canaliculus) while working with Andrew Jeffs. It was an excellent opportunity to apply the theory and quantitative skills developed in my courses to an experiment. The other postgraduate students working in the lab were super welcoming and helped me become familiar with the seawater room. Overall, it was an awesome experience to work in the lab, plan my experiment, collect data and compile it into a report.

“All my lecturers and tutors have been very friendly, welcoming, and willing to answer any questions.

“I was a class rep, which was a great opportunity to connect with lectures and classmates and help improve the course.

“I am a club exec for Rainbow Science, where we aim to help build a welcoming community for LGBTQIATakatāpui+ students within the Science faculty. We want to help foster connections across the different departments and facilities, including the Leigh Marine Laboratory, which is quite far from the City Campus.

“I hope to work in conservation or fisheries and aquaculture, where I aim to help create a sustainable marine environment in New Zealand.”