Helen Woolner talked about He Huarahi Tamariki (HHT)
Helen Woolner was a student at Porirua College and at the age of 16 found herself pregnant. Instead of staying at home to care for her baby, Helen enrolled in He Huarahi Tamariki (HHT), the school for teenage mums founded by Susan Baragwanath in Porirua.
Helen was this week’s guest speaker and told us about her family and her achievements. Her decision to continue her education was critical and eventually led to a PhD and a career in research.
After four years at HHT, a helping hand came in 2005, when our club awarded Helen a scholarship to study for a BSc. at Victoria University. She told us that the scholarship inspired her to work hard, so as not to let us down. After that, she did a Masters's degree and then a PhD, also at Victoria.
Helen’s field of work is the study of natural products, and more recently traditional medicines, for which she was awarded a Post-doctoral fellowship by the Health Research Council.
Many useful compounds have their origins in nature, which equips various species to defend themselves from predators and diseases. Examples are morphine, penicillin, and Taxol, a chemotherapy drug that comes from the bark of the yew tree.
Helen is focussing on the science behind traditional medicines, especially those coming from the Pacific.
She is one of many women who have graduated from HHT and gone on to great success. Besides having a strong intellect, Helen has a philosophy of hard work and self-reliance which is plain to see.
Now she is Doctor Helen Woolner, and in demand as an inspirational speaker.
Neighbourhood Challenge: Who Can Crack This One? ⛓️💥❔
What has a head but no brain?
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post if you know the answer and the big reveal will be posted in the comments at 2pm on the day!
Want to stop seeing these in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
Poll: Would you participate in local initiatives aimed at stopping plastic from reaching our oceans?
Volunteers will be scouring the foreshore, riverbanks, and islands for rubbish on Saturday the 13th as part of the Clean Up the Hutt event.
This initiative helps stop plastic from reaching our oceans and makes our waterways cleaner and safer for everyone.
We want to know: Should this be rolled out across all coastal cities in Aotearoa? And more importantly… would you get involved? 💚
Want the details? The Post has you covered.
-
69.5% Yes!
-
16.9% Maybe ...
-
13.6% No.
Some Choice News!
Many New Zealand gardens aren’t seeing as many monarch butterflies fluttering around their swan plants and flower beds these days — the hungry Asian paper wasp has been taking its toll.
Thanks to people like Alan Baldick, who’s made it his mission to protect the monarch, his neighbours still get to enjoy these beautiful butterflies in their own backyards.
Thinking about planting something to invite more butterflies, bees, and birds into your garden?
Thanks for your mahi, Alan! We hope this brings a smile!
Loading…
