ATC Military Prep helps Ngati Haua/Waikato Wahine find meaning and a promising career

Daumavia is now working towards her teaching certificate. Photo / Supplied

The Hamilton ATC Military Prep School team has a special new addition to its group of tutors: former student Daumavia Herewini, 21, who made the journey from a tough home life to hired ATC tutor and promising career.

Daumavia had a difficult family life growing up. However, she decided to take her destiny into her own hands, graduated high school and left her home town to look for new opportunities in Hamilton. She wanted to join the police and started working towards this career pathway.

She found ATC Military Prep School, part of New Zealand Skills and Education College (NZSE), in 2020 that offered courses to help prepare teens for possible careers in the New Zealand Defence Force, police, and related industries.

Daumavia Herewini, 21, former NZSE ATC Military Prep student, has come back to the school as a tutor. Photo / Supplied

Daumavia enrolled in their Certificate in Fitness and Recreation course and loved it so much that she came back year after year to also complete a Vocational Pathways Social and Community Services - Military Prep course as well as a Certificate in Security.

As a youth after her first year of study, she ran into some challenging times, continually looking for somewhere to call home, as well as trying to care for her younger siblings.
Daumavia says at ATC she found the manākitanga (love and compassion) and care she needed to stay on the right path.

"I feel like ATC did save me in a way because it provided a new path for me. I didn't want to be stuck somewhere I wasn't appreciated and loved properly and then I came here, and man I loved it!"

I loved the military life and ... the drills, I was also put in leadership roles ... it helped me feel worthy and important and that I have a purpose."

While studying, she found a job at Armourguard Security. "Then I worked for Allied Security for the whole of lockdown. I was also a bouncer for most of last year."

Now she's gone back to her roots and has become a Security L3 tutor at ATC- and NZSE College is supporting her with further training to obtain her teaching certificate.

Her life has taken a complete 180-degree turn. She rents her own place, has a rewarding job working with rangatahi and is helping her younger siblings and cousins to stay on the right path.

"As a tutor I feel like I am in a great position to help these students. They are probably working through what I went through. I just want them to believe that they can get through it too and that better things are coming for them as well."