Mia Quinn

Ngāti Hauā, Waikato Tainui

Mia Quinn’s ‘why’ was a deep passion for protecting the planet. She searched for conservational and environmentally conscious degree options close to home and discovered the University of Waikato in Tauranga.

Hamilton

Mia Quinn has squeezed a lot into her study at the University of Waikato.

Juggling three part-time jobs, night classes in te reo Māori while studying full-time, Mia didn’t simply scrape through her Bachelor of Science – she excelled.

“I went to work straight after college,” she says. “But after five years, on the brink of an advancement, I realised that I didn’t want to do something that I don’t care about for the rest of my life.”

Mia’s ‘why’ was a deep passion for protecting the planet.

She searched for conservational and environmentally conscious degree options close to home and discovered the University of Waikato in Tauranga.

Now completing her Master of Science (Research) at the Hamilton campus, Mia is also a sessional assistant at the University and volunteers with the Hamilton City Council on environmental initiatives. Her next step is a PhD.

“With my degree(s) I hope to make a difference to the state of the natural world by researching and advising solutions to the harm that humans have caused and potentially will continue to cause in the future.”