Turning Challenges into Opportunities

When Naidene Myers was a teenager she couldn’t see a bright future ahead of her, but the 33-year-old is unlocking her potential with a Bachelor of Applied Technology from Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology. 

Naidene left school at 15 and started working full-time in hospitality, but found herself falling in with a bad crowd.

“When I was younger, I couldn’t even see my future. I would never have imagined that I would actually get a qualification and have career opportunities.” 

The choice to quit hospitality and pursue applied technology came in 2020 when her father passed away. 

“I had moved to Australia to look after my dad as he had cancer. I was caring for him but also working 14 hours a day, six days a week. 

“It was really difficult. I also missed being with him when he passed because I was working.”

For Naidene, this was the trigger she needed to pursue a different career and she chose to follow in her father’s footsteps. 

“He was a software developer. He always used to tell me that I had too much of a brain not to use it.” 

Back in Aotearoa, Naidene enrolled in the Toi Ohomai Bachelor of Applied Technology and didn’t look back. 

“I do feel like I’m still connected to my dad through my studies and my career.” 

She says despite being slightly older, she found it easy to settle back into study, thanks to supportive teachers and support staff as well as her classmates. 

“I want people to know that they are not too old to go back or further their education. I loved studying at Toi Ohomai and I made really good friends here. My classmates became a tight-knit circle, and it really created a sense of family throughout the class, which is something I valued.” 

Naidene says the support she received through the inaugural wāhine-focused Tuakana – Teina mentoring programme was second to none. Throughout the year, students were paired with ngā kaimahi wāhine Māori who provided tailored mentoring support. The teina (mentees) also completed a range of leadership activities to advance their skill sets and grow self-assurance.

She believes this support gave her the confidence to pursue an internship through Toi Ki Tua. The Toi Ki Tua Māori Summer Internship Programme aims to serve as a bridge to unlock high-value careers for Māori tertiary students in the Bay of Plenty. The programme is tailored to students who are studying toward a Bachelor's degree or higher and have a strong connection to the Bay of Plenty, be it through whakapapa or residency. 

Through this, Naidene has an internship with Fruition Horticulture. Fruition offers various training programmes and part of Naidene’s role will be to help digitize their content and she will be working on developing interactive, gamified assessments. 

“I’m really excited about this project. It will be a lot of work, but it aligns with my values and I have an opportunity to give back to Māori youth. This is a great way for me to use my skills as I don’t want rangatahi to be disconnected from the technology world.”