"Dyslexia is commonly misunderstood in the community and, disturbingly, among educators at all levels. I want to help raise awareness of dyslexia, and most importantly, to aid dyslexic learners to understand their dyslexia and the many benefits of being dyslexic."
Conning said she had previously enjoyed learning about vulnerable people and wanted to continue to explore this area.
"Taking the vulnerable people's path was an interesting learning journey. We learned about what it means to be vulnerable and that we are all vulnerable at times, this is dependent upon a multitude of factors.
"During my postgraduate diploma I looked at several vulnerable populations, these included solo mothers studying for a nursing degree, and obesity in student nurses. I thoroughly enjoyed broadening my knowledge and understanding of these populations and how we can best support them to good health and academic success."
Conning said she was looking forward to celebrating with her family after all her hard work.
"My family have patiently and lovingly supported me while I spent many hours on the computer, they deserve this as much as I do."
She will be joined on stage by her peer Crawford, who recently joined the nursing department at Toi Ohomai.
Crawford said she had to complete a research protocols paper not long after starting with Toi Ohomai and expected it to be heavy-going and possibly boring.
"However due to the incredible tutor and his amazing way of teaching, I actually found it to be an exciting topic. So, I enthusiastically embarked on the Master of Applied Professional Studies dissertation last year.
"Through my own experience of leaving a nurse role, to come into nurse education, I chose the research question: What are the key challenges in transitioning from nurse clinician role to nurse educator role?"
She said the aim was to find out how to best support and prepare nurses during this time of transition.
Crawford said the highlight of conducting her research was interviewing 17 participants.
