Nick Van der Geest
Unitec alumnae Nick van der Geest reaps the rewards of following his passion, and gaining the extra skills he needs through our Bridgepoint School.
Many people leave school early believing that is the end of their study. However, often they discover that a gap year or time in the workforce helps them discover their passion and inspires them to begin tertiary study. Nick van der Geest is an example of finding
Once the decision has been made to return, Foundation courses are an important tool to help learners bridge the gap between high school and tertiary study.
A model of a turtle used to test the fin design
A great example of the effectiveness of these programmes is Unitec alumnae Nick van der Geest, who recently garnered media attention for his mechanical engineering project designing prosthetic fins to help rehabilitate turtles injured by boats and fishing nets.
As is often the case, Nick left high school with only his NCEA Level 1 because he found his schoolwork uninspiring. After time spent living overseas, he returned home and became a machine programmer, but an interest in fluid mechanics, inspired by Formula 1 racing cars and aerospace, motivated him to train as an engineer.
He enrolled in Unitec’s Certificate in Foundation Studies (now the NZ Certificate in Study and Career Preparation) to gain skills in maths, physics, and English.
“I knew I needed those skills to get into engineering, and I had seen what I could with so it gave me the motivation to get into back into study and acquire them,” he says.
“Before studying at Unitec, I did not know any math or physics at all, I didn’t even know what algebra was. The lecturers showed me how powerful these subjects are and demonstrated how mathematics was just another language that can be used to explain how the world works.”
After completing the Foundation course, he began a bachelor’s in civil engineering before realising that he preferred mechanical engineering. He changed programmes and today is completing his Ph.D. at Auckland University of Technology, with the turtle fin project forming part of his Honours study.
How important is having teachers that believe in their students and motivate them to reach their potential 🙂 it does make a huge difference to them. Big applause to Bridgepoint and its lecturers.