Semester 1 students in the Certificate in University Preparation (CUP), which we partner with the University of Canterbury to deliver, celebrated their graduation during the school holidays. Peter Webb won the award for top scholar and gave the following student address.

Thank you to the Acting Chancellor, distinguished guests, lecturers and staff of the CUP programme.

As the semester progressed I was able to get to know some of my fellow students. The students in the CUP programme are diverse. Some have come from other countries, and some from throughout New Zealand. For some, English was not their first language. Some like myself are classified as ‘mature students’, some have come straight from school, while others have come from the workforce. But there is one thing that we had in common; we enrolled for the opportunity to study at university. The CUP programme caters for people that need another pathway to become the people they want to be. Its existence is something I am very grateful for.

I have been fortunate to experience entry into university both from school in the late 80s and again now through CUP. For myself, I have found the preparation for study though CUP to be more extensive than what was given at school. An example of this is the course Academic Communication and Study Skills, run in conjunction with Hagley College. It taught us how to be students - how to research, synthesise ideas, and communicate in a clear and concise way - and gave us the confidence to use those skills, whether it be for a physics lab report, a poster for chemistry or a speech for graduation. They also taught us how to view the world with a growth mindset; to value learning, to persevere, to seek out feedback and to learn from our mistakes.

When I started this semester I had been unable to work for two years due to depression and anxiety. I came looking for a fresh start to life after 30 years working in the family business. I entered the CUP programme unsure that I could finish the semester, let alone pass all my courses. To help achieve my goals I took advantage of the multiple ways that the University aids students. Student Health provides a counselling service. The Disability Service is there to give help and advice for people with problems that might impair their university performance. Additionally, student advisors are there to help as well. With this help I was able to pass my courses and find a level of confidence that I had not had for many years. If any of you have any problems during your study going forward, please ask for help from the services that the University provides.

I need to also thank my lecturers, Alex, Jane, Jo and Nicki who gave me the opportunity to re-discover the joy of learning. They also imparted invaluable knowledge to their students: ‘done and dusted’ means mathematics at high speed; if you blow it up, you fix it; academic writing can be rewarded with biscuits and cake; and most importantly, don’t drink the chemicals!