As Arahia Andrews watched the grandfather who had raised her since she was just six weeks old die of lung cancer, she decided she would become a nurse.
 
Arahia was 17 when she made that decision.

Now 21 and after three years’ studying towards her Bachelor of Nursing at EIT Tairāwhiti she has just graduated as a registered nurse. She already works at Gisborne Hospital in a New Graduate Nurse position, and hopes to help other people hold onto their whanau for longer.

“I have a lot of unhealthy relatives. Cancer is the most common theme in my family. My grandparents both smoked, my grandfather who I called Dad, July Green passed away. My grandmother who I call Mum, Annette-Jane has emphysema, so I saw a lot of nurses working hard to help them.”

Arahia has relished being a nurse after all her hard work at EIT to become one.

“EIT is an amazing option as the classes are smaller so you get more one-on-one time with the lecturers. The lecturers are very knowledgeable with lots of experience so you’re in good hands.

The student support and librarians are excellent and always friendly and the library is amazing for resources. Sometimes it was hard.

As well as post-graduate Special Topic Clinical Practicum study through EIT, there is a lot to learn in her new job.

“All the theory is being put into practice. I like the fact that I’m independent, and as a registered nurse you have a lot of responsibilities. Every day I learn something new and I embrace these on-going challenges.”

There’s also the money. After she got University Entrance at Lytton High School she was accepted into EIT’s Bachelor of Nursing and was awarded an EIT Year 13 Scholarship which helped reduce the cost of her study by paying for the first year of her tuition fees. She also received the local Clark Charitable Trust Scholarship and Hauora Maori Scholarships, but the pay as a registered nurse makes her life a lot easier after three years as a student, says Arahia.

“From having to scrape by each week I now get enough money to finally start saving so I can go travelling at some stage. All that hard work at EIT has paid off.”

Once her new graduate role at Gisborne Hospital comes to an end, she aims to acquire more skills, knowledge and experience through her nursing career. She hopes to eventually find a role as a community nurse where she can educate people to make better choices and live healthier happier lives.

“I became a nurse because I love helping people and I want to help families like mine because I know a bit about what they go through.”