Hannah Staines was nervous about returning to study after a number of years in the workforce, but she describes attending Lincoln as “the best experience”.
“All the staff were so friendly and approachable, and I felt like I was not just a number.”
Before embarking on Lincoln’s Master of Planning, Hannah spent 12 years in New Zealand, Australia, and Papua New Guinea, helping people and communities to address individual complex social issues.
“I have always enjoyed working with people, but I wanted to redirect my passion from working with more individual issues to those affecting us all,” she says.
“In my spare time, I love to explore mountains and appreciate our natural environment. When looking at how I could combine these experiences, planning seemed the perfect fit.”
Hannah embarked on a couple of different career paths before deciding to redirect her focus to the planning profession.
She gained a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Podiatry at Brighton University in the UK and worked in that area for four years before returning to tertiary study and earning a Master in Social Work.
“My transferrable skills from my previous career experiences have been honed, making my mid-life transition into a new career much smoother than I could ever have anticipated,” she says.
“As a mature student, I was nervous to return again to study but the staff appeared to take a personal interest in my learning journey and supported me to achieve my very best.
“This included not only academic support, but concern for mental and emotional wellbeing was given priority at times too.
“I have left Lincoln with some great friendships and many fond memories.”
Now working as a Resource Management Consultant at Incite in Christchurch, Lincoln continues to support Hannah in her career.
“I often refer to subjects and issues covered in the course, or at least know where to find the information required,” she says.
