“2020 was not a great time to move to Australia, but while I was there, I had a lot of time to myself to consider my next steps and I started to wonder if university was an option,” says Jackson.

“There was something about the holistic approach of health psychology that really resonated with me.”

Jackson moved back to Wellington and started a Bachelor of Health in Health Psychology—a far cry from the career in banking and home loans he had previously pursued.

Although he was passionate about his chosen topic, the transition to university was a daunting one, and Jackson says he was anxious when he first started as an older student who had never completed Year 13. One conversation with his lecturer put his mind at ease.

“I walked into my HLWB 101 class, and I sat at the front because I didn’t know where else to sit. After class the lecturer gestured for me to come over and have a chat, and that 5-minute conversation kind of dissolved all the anxiety and the whakamā that I had about being there.”

Becoming a psychologist was vaguely the plan when embarking on study, but the Bachelor of Health ignited an interest in health research instead. Jackson has continued his study and is now pursuing a Master of Health Psychology.

“Having learned about some of the health outcomes for Māori, I would like to be an advocate and help provide a basis for policy change.”

Through another one of his lecturers, Jackson connected with the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand (MRINZ), where he now works as a research assistant.

Being embedded in the ICU at Wellington Regional Hospital is an experience that is eye-opening and reaffirms Jackson’s goal to make a difference.

“The ICU is an intense environment, there is a lot of emotion and action, but there’s also a sense of positivity from the families who have loved ones there.”

Jackson is looking forward to starting his own research project next year, looking at the experiences of Māori whānau who have a loved one in the ICU.