LweeZar Thar
3rd-year student, Bachelor of Health Science (Oral Health)
After needing a bit of help and support when she was growing up, LweeZar Thar now wants to be able to help others by working as a health science professional.
“I was born in a refugee camp in Thailand after my family fled from the civil war in Myanmar. I was five when we first arrived in New Zealand. Coming from a place where I needed a lot of help and support, I wanted to be able to now help and support others. That’s why I went into health science. My experiences at the dentist inspired me to work in oral health, as it always looked exciting and extremely rewarding. My interest in the tooth morphology and anatomy was also a catalyst for my choice of study.”
Supported by a Sir Robert Jones Refugee Daughters Scholarship, she decided to come to AUT for her studies.
“I chose AUT because of the amount of clinical-based experience I was able to do as part of my degree. The health science core courses also aligned with my interests in human anatomy, pharmacology and health law. I had heard good things about AUT compared to other universities, for example that AUT also looks after students’ emotional wellbeing and that there are diverse clubs. Receiving a scholarship to support my studies made it easier as this meant I didn’t need to work as much at my part-time job, which enhanced my wellbeing as I could focus on my personal life as well as doing well in my studies.”
A rewarding profession
For LweeZar, being able to work with patients has been the highlight of her studies.
“I’ve enjoyed working with patients as it’s so rewarding when I’m able to treat or help them prevent any oral diseases. I like seeing them happy and appreciative. Clinical was also enjoyable as you meet a wide range of people with all sorts of cases and being able to build this knowledge made me more confident.”
She would highly recommend the Bachelor of Health Science (Oral Health) to other students.
“I’d recommend oral health to others as it’s a rewarding occupation to have. It’s not just about treating and preventing oral diseases. Having the power to change an individual’s life for the better is revolutionary as health is holistic. The skills and knowledge you learn are so valuable and extremely fascinating. Oral health therapists are in demand, so finding a job after graduating should be easy.”
Advice for other students
Now in the final year of her degree, LweeZar has some great advice for other students.
“My advice would be to always start assignments as early as possible and to just keep working hard. It’s only three years and once you graduate, everything falls into place and you’ll realise how much it was all worth it.”
There is a lot of support available to AUT students, she adds.
“The AUT Student Hub team was always efficient in giving me alternatives to help resolve my problems, and the services are always fast and accessible. I’ve also used the Student Medical Centres where I was able to have my appointments by calling and get free prescriptions when needed, making my recovery faster and saving me a lot of time and money, which is essential as a student. Both these student services made my university experience more convenient and less stressful.”
