Mena Welford
Mena initially wanted to go to medical school to become a surgeon, but she switched to a dual specialisation in Biological Sciences and Marine Science after realising those subjects were where her interests lay.
Key facts
Programme: Bachelor of Science
Subject: Biological Sciences and Marine Science
“Originally, I came to university planning to go to med school (through a biomed degree), with ambitions of becoming a surgeon. However, the papers I genuinely enjoyed and felt were ‘me’ was BIOSCI 101 and 107. So, by second semester I had switched into a Biological Sciences specialisation.
“I took a Marine Science paper in my third year on a whim and fell in love with its interdisciplinary aspects, compatibility with Biological Sciences and global relevance and so switched into a secondary specialisation of Marine Science.
“During my Marine Science research project, we chose some biological aspect of the Whangarei Heads rocky shore environment to investigate. We collected, processed, and interpreted data, then wrote up a scientific report relaying our findings.
Being fully immersed in the various aspects of experimental design and data
collection has only reinforced my love for biology and motivates me to see what
lies beyond undergrad.
“The calibre of teaching I’ve encountered is remarkable. Irrespective of the sub-specialisation I’ve taken papers in, lecturers show tireless enthusiasm, passion and dedication to enabling student success.
“My ultimate goal is to become a scientist and an academic. Short-term, this means a Postgraduate Diploma in Science (Marine Science) and then a Master of Science. Based on how these fare, hopefully a PhD follows.”
We're always looking for stories to share from our passionate Science students. If you have a story, we'd love to hear from you. Email science-web@auckland.ac.nz.