ATC tutor Staff Daumavia is a new addition to our NZSE team however her journey started long before and is one of true determination and strength.

Daumavia had a difficult home life growing up but she was determined to break the intergenerational cycle her family was in. She decided to leave high school and her hometown to look for opportunities in Hamilton when she found ATC Military Prep School and joined the whānau -enrolling in our NZ Certificate in Fitness and Recreation (Level 1).

“I wanted to move out and do something like military prep training and do it outside of the city I lived in, so I ended up coming up to Hamilton and  moved in with one of my Aunties”  

Daumavia loved ATC and came back year after year to complete the rest of the ATC Military Prep courses studying Vocational Pathways Social and Community Services - Military Prep (Level 2), and enrolled in Hamilton’s first NZ Certificate in Security (Level 3) cohort.  

“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!"

Better suited to a learning style that included a mixture of physical and academic learning, Daumavia became more confident and could see herself taking the lead in future opportunities

“I Just really liked all the military training and drills, plus I was put in leadership roles. I was always class IC and then campus IC”  

After graduating, she accepted a job at Armourguard then worked as a security officer for different organisations too.  

“While I was studying at ATC , I started working at Armourguard and then I worked for Allied Security for the whole of lockdown. I was also a bouncer for most of last year.”

Daumavia saw the job application for a role as an ATC tutor  and jumped at the chance to join the team with hopes of helping students from similar backgrounds to herself get as much out of their time at ATC as possible.  

“I saw the ad for the job and  just applied for it. I love helping people and the students you get here are like the main people I want to help because I’ve most likely walked in their shoes before, and I most likely know what they’re going through."  

Staff Daumavia is now training to be a tutor in our Hamilton campus and is eager to provide her students with as many opportunities as possible. She is excited to be in a position where she can inspire others to grow to believe in themselves and become positive leaders for Aotearoa.  

“I just want them to believe that they can get through it too and that better things are coming for them as well”