There is nothing like a good story to capture the imagination and help us engage with other people’s experiences. This book is made up of fifteen such stories, written by young New Zealanders as they look back on their individual journeys from school to tertiary education. They come from rural and urban schools located mostly in economically disadvantaged communities, and many are the first in their family to embark on university studies. The authors reflect the ethnic mix of Aotearoa New Zealand today – with Mäori, Pacific, European/Päkehä, and other voices telling of their dreams, experiences, and lessons learned along the way. If you are a high school student planning to go to university (or wondering if you should), or a teacher, parent or mentor to a young person in this situation, then this book will give you some helpful pointers. Sometimes funny and at times painfully honest, these stories go beyond the glossy brochures and university guidebooks to provide a real glimpse of what it is like to leave the familiarity of school, family and community and become a university student.

Elizabeth McKinley, PhD, of Ngäti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa and Ngäi Tahu descent has taught science in secondary schools and has a long standing interest in Mäori education. She is an Associate Professor in Education at the University of Auckland and Director of the Starpath Project for Tertiary Participation and Success, the aim of which is to improve educational outcomes for Mäori, Pacific, and other students from lower decile schools, currently underrepresented in tertiary education.

Irena Madjar, PhD, has extensive experience in nursing, university education, and research. She coordinates qualitative research studies conducted as part of the Starpath Project and was the principal investigator on the longitudinal study on student transition from school to university from which this book developed.