For Sienna Rajek, every dollar counts. As a solo mum to preschooler Leilani, and studying toward a career in criminology, there isn’t much money left over each week. Which makes her selection for a Soroptimist Waimea Education Grant a big deal.
The money enables her to buy a printer – a simple thing - and pay for flights to Hamilton, where she can attend workshops at University of Waikato as part of her Bachelor of Social Sciences degree. This is her second year studying online, majoring in criminology, with minors in forensic psychology and leadership, plus law papers with a view to post-graduate study.
Sienna hasn’t stopped studying since she became pregnant as a 17-year-old schoolgirl. With support from the Nelson Young Parent School, she gained University Entrance and gained a Level 4 Small Business Certificate – along with first aid and barista qualifications.
Now 21, she has her sights set on potentially working within the criminal justice system in the Pacific Islands. Criminal psychology has long fascinated her.
“I read a book once called The Cause of Death, written by a New Zealand pathologist about cases he had worked on,” she says. “I found the book fascinating and am interested in the human brain-decision making, and why people do what they do.”
While studying online gives her flexibility with a preschooler, it comes with challenges.
“I’m home every day of the week staring at the computer, trying to figure it all out. Sometimes I don’t know how I manage it, but I can’t feel sorry for myself – I made a decision when I was 17 to do this.”
Sienna is one of two women selected to share this year’s $3,000 Soroptimist education grant.
Rachelle Conroy from Riwaka is the second recipient and she intends to use the money to pay off some of her student loan which increases about $9,000 each year to cover course fees. She is in her second year of nursing studies, balancing online with travel to Nelson for practical sessions and tutorials.
Following a separation, Rachelle is raising three children, aged between five and 13, on her own. She has taken on a larger mortgage to keep the family home and says after many years as a stay-at-home mum, the time felt right to pursue her passion for nursing.
“I threw myself into it to be a role model for my children,” she says. “Even though it’s difficult, if you put in the effort, you can make it work. I’m on the sole parent benefit and I would like to get off that and be financially stable for my children.
“Hopefully, once I finish my degree I’ll find a good job and things will get a little bit easier. It’s an opportunity for us at the end of the day to make it better for ourselves.”
