Olivia McIntyre

Olivia McIntyre always envisioned herself working in the field of health.

“For a long time, I thought I’d be a doctor or nurse,” says Olivia. “It wasn’t until I experienced issues with my own mental health that I considered psychology as a career path.”

After finishing up at John Paul College in Rotorua, Olivia embarked on her tertiary studies in 2019 - the same year the new Tauranga campus opened in the heart of the city. She received a ’Ko Te Tangata’ School Leaver Scholarship which helped ease the financial pressure of her first year.

As she divided her time between home in Rotorua and study in Tauranga, Olivia says instilling good time management skills early on was important.

“To get my work done on time and to a high standard, I had to learn to be very motivated and disciplined with my time.”

In September 2022, Olivia graduated with a Bachelor of Social Sciences with a double major in Psychology and Sociology. The chance to don a graduation gown and trencher had been a long time coming.

“I was very excited to graduate as it was postponed twice due to Covid. It was great to finally be able to celebrate the milestone with my friends and family,” she says.

Olivia was already wrapping up her honours year by the time she crossed the graduation stage. She was thrilled to receive the University of Waikato Postgraduate Scholarship (Taught) (rounds 1 and 2) for 2022 and will embark on master’s study next year, bringing her one step closer to her goal of becoming a clinical psychologist.

When asked to dish out some words of wisdom to future students, Olivia offers some sound advice.

“Stick with it,” she says. “Three years seems like a very long time but it goes by in a flash. Be kind to yourself. Do your best but remember, the world won’t stop spinning if you don’t get an A.”