Rita Burgess - Bachelor of Education (Teaching) (Honours)

“After high school, I started working in an international shipping company and stayed there for 14 years, but it was just a job that I wasn’t passionate about. I knew I wanted to go back and study but just didn’t know where to start.

“When my second child was ready to start school, I went to his orientation day and as soon as I walked through the school gates, it was like I had a calling. I knew this was where I wanted to be. That week, I enrolled myself in the University of Auckland’s Bachelor of Education (Teaching) Primary programme at Manukau.

“After completing my bachelors, I wanted to gain more knowledge and skills as teacher through postgraduate study. I wanted to better myself so I can deliver ‘my best’ to the children I would be working with in the future. Being a mature student with children, I felt it was either ‘now or never’, or it may never happen.

“I’m now enrolled in the Bachelor of Education (Teaching) (Honours) and am thoroughly enjoying the science lectures. I have great support from my lecturers, who put so much time and effort into every lesson. It is amazing, and also fun. They say you learn best when you’re having fun, and it’s definitely true.

“As a mother of three young boys who really wanted to continue studying, I would not have been able to do so without the financial means of the Woolf Fisher Trust Honours scholarship. This scholarship will enable me to gain more knowledge and skills to better equip myself when stepping foot into the classroom especially around science and maths. I can’t wait!

“Teaching will enable me to touch so many lives in different ways and just knowing that I can make a difference in a child’s life is a special gift.”