{"id":9285,"date":"2022-03-29T14:05:55","date_gmt":"2022-03-29T01:05:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesislink.aut.ac.nz\/?p=9285"},"modified":"2022-03-29T14:06:03","modified_gmt":"2022-03-29T01:06:03","slug":"thesis-survivor-stories-meet-one-of-the-survivors-vivien-wei-verheijen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesislink.aut.ac.nz\/?p=9285","title":{"rendered":"Thesis Survivor Stories: Meet one of the survivors \u2013 Vivien Wei Verheijen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

AUT academics Professor Marilyn Waring and Professor Kate Kearins have recently edited a second edition of Thesis Survivor Stories: Practical Advice on Getting Through Your PhD or Masters Thesis<\/a><\/em>, which is a collection of 23 essays from graduates who survived the thesis journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the thesis survivors is Dr Vivien Wei Verheijen who has kindly agreed to answer a few questions for us. Vivien was born in China and migrated to New Zealand in early 2000. After graduating from Massey University with a Master’s degree in Social Policy, she became involved in the community NGO sector. Vivien worked at the Office of Ethnic Communities, a central government agency, for a decade and is now a senior community advisor at Auckland Council. Vivien was awarded her PhD in Public Policy from AUT in 2018. Vivien has a strong sense of social justice, championing consumer rights and gender equality. She has been involved in many advisory positions, particularly in supporting the needs of New Zealand’s culturally diverse communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Dr Vivien Wei Verheijen<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Kathryn: How did you get involved in the Thesis Survivor Stories project?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vivien: When I was studying for my PhD, I read the first edition of Thesis Survivor Stories several times, and I greatly benefited from the tips and experiences which the authors shared. The book helped me tremendously, learning their pearls of wisdom and advice, and I was spiritually inspired by their dynamic research journeys. Hence, when Marilyn (who was one of my supervisors) announced that there would be a second edition and called for new articles, I immediately agreed to write an essay to share my own learning experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

K: The doctorate is a big experience, how did you decide which aspects to write about?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

V: I reflected on my study process and what helped me accomplish the PhD, aligning with a topic I am passionate about, cultural capital. As an immigrant with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds, I hope my strengths-based approach will encourage other students from ethnically and culturally diverse backgrounds. It is about capitalising on the merits of cultural practice, heritage, linguistic capital and ethnic background; it is about embracing and being confident of who you are as an individual and an academic researcher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

K: What was the highlight of the doctoral journey for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

V: Completing my PhD according to the timeline I had planned with immense support and blessing from participants, supervisors, academic wh\u0101nau, colleagues and my former employer (Office of Ethnic Communities, Department of Internal Affairs), and significantly, my family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

K: What was next for you after your doctorate?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

V: I intend to work on future publications derived from my thesis if possible. Also, I utilise the critical analysis skills and research capacity that I developed during my studies for my professional work and advisory roles.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

K: What was the best piece of advice you received as a doctoral student?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

V: Trust yourself, trust your supervisors and trust your research process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us, Vivien! Thesis Survivor Stories is available in ebook format and can be accessed through the AUT Library here: https:\/\/librarysearch.aut.ac.nz\/vufind\/Record\/1696659<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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