Providing advice about courses is a big part of Raymond鈥檚 role but he says sometimes all a student needs is a sounding board, a chat, reassurance that they鈥檙e on the right track, or to vent about a bad day.
Raymond, who is Samoan, says remembering how it felt when he moved from Auckland to Christchurch to study at UC several years ago, helps him relate to and empathise with students who are feeling overwhelmed.
鈥淚 know the challenges of coming to university from another city and what it鈥檚 like being in the halls when you don鈥檛 know anyone.鈥
Often he only meets with a student once, but there are some who he sees several times over a longer timeframe. He supported one student who was dealing with a lot of challenges last year and had to withdraw from courses but has now re-enrolled, gradually increased their workload, and is now hoping to return to full-time study. 鈥淪eeing their progress has been really great. It hasn鈥檛 been easy for them, but feeling like I鈥檝e helped them and seeing the difference in their life is really fulfilling.鈥澨
Raymond graduated from UC with a Bachelor of Commerce in 2019 but realised working in marketing wasn鈥檛 his thing. He was a residential advisor in the halls and a mentor in the Pacific Development Team when he was studying at UC and found a job as a student advisor at Ara Institute of Canterbury before moving to the role at UC.
鈥淭here鈥檚 quite a lot of variety in the type of things we have to tackle, from changing courses or degrees to more pastoral care and mental health stuff,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 think the main thing is guiding students towards a solution. We might not be able to solve everything, but we know where they need to go to fix any problems they鈥檙e facing.鈥
First year student advising is part of UC鈥檚听Kia Angitu student success programme听which brings together a range of initiatives to help students navigate university life. UC Dean of Academic Success Julie Mackey says the Kaitoko play a vital role.
鈥淭he transition to tertiary study can be daunting and the Kaitoko team provide a personalised point of contact making it easier for new students to access what they need from the many specialist support services available on campus. We鈥檝e had really positive feedback from students saying advice provided by our Kaitoko has helped them settle in and thrive.鈥
