wn2558's blog

If someone had told me ten years ago that I would gain a Diploma in Business Administration, I would have guffawed at the thought.  Gosh, they were talking to someone who hadn’t done any form of study for over 20 years, thinking herself too old to go ‘back to school’.  How wrong I was! 

When I accepted the 2005 Doreen Smart Scholarship, I had no idea of what an unexpected, rewarding and exciting journey I was about to undertake.

In 1971 I left secondary school, intending to work for a year to earn some money so I could go to training college in Auckland to become a commercial teacher, as they were known in those days, teaching shorthand/typing.  However, for a number of reasons, this dream never eventuated. However, over my many successful years of working in top-flight administrative positions, I had always held the hope that one day I would achieve a tertiary qualification.

As the recipient of the AAPNZ Doreen Smart Scholarship in 2009 I felt honoured. I had applied for several scholarships through the university process for support in undertaking my thesis research and had not received any of them. It felt so good to be valued by my peers.