This week I headed to Invercargill for the Trades courses at SIT. I’ve been going to Telford every Friday as part of Gateway through school, so it felt pretty cool to finally be there for the awards ceremony. The ceremony was huge, even though not everyone could make it. I got to walk up on stage with my classmates and receive my certificate for passing the course, which already felt like a big achievement.

What I didn’t know was that they announced my name for Top Student for Equine, 2025. I honestly had no idea anything like that was coming. I felt super happy and really proud of myself, because I know how hard I worked all year.

The Equine course covered everything from handling horses to caring for them and learning about their body systems. The course ran for two and a half terms, every Friday right up until I caught the bus at 3. It was a pretty big commitment, but I loved it. Working with horses all day is honestly my favourite thing, and getting to learn a whole new set of skills with different horses was amazing. Our tutor was awesome too.

I’m really going to miss my classmates. They played such a big part in my time there and became really good friends. I’m grateful for all of it and so proud of what I achieved this year.

Natalie Grant