Lana Kong

Born and raised in Hamilton, and having attended Hamilton Girls High School, Lana was keen to stay close to home and her parents.

"I liked that Waikato is a smaller university and so the student-to-lecturer ratio is less. It was important to me, as a student, to feel like I was more than just a number," she said.

Wanting to work in the energy sector was also a huge driver as she wanted to have a career where she could be challenged and learn new things every day and she felt studying Engineering at Waikato would enable her to do that.

A highlight for Lana so far has been the opportunity to be part of Project Ahuora - an energy research project that focuses on decarbonising New Zealand's industrial sector.

"I work with a great team of students and lecturers on a project that has the potential to make a real difference for energy in New Zealand. I also really enjoy tutoring and helping out with admin in the lower year engineering papers because I get to meet  so many prospective engineers," she said.

However, there are always challenges and Lana said for her, this meant trying to balance work, study and hobbies.

"I love music, and before Covid, I used to travel overseas for drumming once or twice a year as well as to Tauranga every fortnight to volunteer as a music facilitator. It was long hours to keep on top of everything but definitely worth it."

Lana’s biggest piece of advice is to surround yourself with good people.

"Whether it's students or staff, the people around you are the ones who motivate you, support you and help you grow and make sure you take every opportunity you can to learn more and do more. The opportunities that I've had since then at Waikato have far exceeded my expectations and have really helped shape my university experience."