PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2024

Petra’s dream drives her to dentistry

Petra grew up working in the bakery her parents ran near Auckland Hospital. They immigrated from Cambodia and raised her to work hard and make the most of the opportunity to have an education. Inspired by the healthcare workers she met each day, Petra set her goals on going into medicine despite the challenges that entailed.

Petra with her mum and sister at First Foundation’s Awards night on receiving her scholarship in 2021

Petra is the first in her family to pursue a degree, so it meant stepping into the unknown. “My parents didn’t go to university, so they didn’t know about the application processes and the requirements to get into professional programmes. It’s definitely scary coming from a small community to compete with thousands of people to get into such a small course.”

“And the thought of moving away to study was quite terrifying. My parents immigrated away from their family. I would be up at night wondering who was going to help my parents. Are my siblings going to be taken care of?”

The First Foundation scholarship became a turning point in her journey, providing financial support and the confidence to aim high.

“When I first won the First Foundation scholarship in Year 12, I think I realised, ‘I can do this: I can go to uni and have the career that I always wanted,” Petra recalls.

“It felt like people beyond my own family believed in me. I saw I had support from this whole network of people rooting for me to succeed.”

“Not only do I have a mentor, and the First Foundation team, I have a whole community of other First Foundation scholars at Otago who have had to overcome similar things”.

Petra’s ambition to give back to her community became a driving force in her career choice. “I was drawn to the healthcare sector because I’ve always wanted to help people, especially my community.

“Cambodian immigrants have gone through so much in their home country, and many don’t speak English very well. There’s such a big gap in their healthcare knowledge.”

Dentistry was her calling

Petra’s First Foundation mentor helped her understand the huge number of career options there are in healthcare.

“My mentor, Dr Zoe Wells, is amazing, and she allowed me to shadow her at a hospital. She’s in contact with someone in the dentistry field, so I was able to shadow him at his clinic as well.”

“The patients the Doctor saw were of the same ethnicity as him — people who spoke the same language. And they felt so much more comfortable going to him. I saw one procedure and as soon as it was done the patient smiled; he was so happy. He looked like he was more confident.”

“I think it was just amazing seeing the interaction between the dentist and the patient, and just kind of realising how much of a difference dentistry can make to a person,” she says.

She recognised the need for Cambodian dentists that she could fill. “The nature of dentistry is quite invasive, and it can seem intimidating, especially if English isn’t your first language.

“Many people are so scared to go to the dentist, so most of the time they just don’t go. This is sad because it’s not just for aesthetic purposes; it’s important for health reasons.”

“I thought I could put patients at ease about seeing the dentist and bridge a gap in my community. I could tell them it’s okay and that they’re in trusted hands,” she explains.

The value of hard work and family support

Petra has always worked hard, which has given her an edge in study. From a young age, Petra began waking up at 6 a.m. to help before school.

“We lived at the bakery. After it closed each day, my mum would take me and my siblings on walks to the city or through the Auckland Domain. Even though my parents were working very hard, they still made time to spend with us and to take us out as much as they could.”

Understanding the importance of work-life balance has driven Petra to make each opportunity count.

“I don’t want to be working the same hours as my parents because I feel like they worked that hard for me to, I guess, not work as hard as them. When my parents get older, I want to be able to look after them,” she reflects.

“I feel so fortunate to be here in New Zealand, where I have a roof over my head, and I get to go to school. I’m so grateful for the sacrifice my parents have made. In Cambodia, there are a lot of young girls like me who don’t go to school and are working and living as maids. I just feel really fortunate to be able to have an education.   

First Foundation’s support is a gamechanger

Petra is grateful that the scholarship will ease the financial burden on her family.

“Having the scholarship means the world to me because it’s taken so much stress away from my parents,” Petra says. “It lifts a weight off their shoulders knowing that this whole network of people supports me, that I’m not alone and that I’ve got all these people I can talk to if I need help.”

Petra particularly values the mentoring aspect of the scholarship. “Out of the three pillars, I would say the mentoring has been the most beneficial for me, because my mentor is a doctor, and she’s honestly amazing,” she enthuses.

Zoe has been a source of guidance and encouragement. “She helped me to apply to university and for other scholarships. She’s always encouraging, and just talking to her gives me confidence,” Petra shares.

“I can ask her about anything, it doesn’t even have to do with university. She always asks me about my daily life, and I feel like I’ve established such a meaningful connection with her.”

Studying is the next step to her future

Petra is now in her second year of dentistry at the University of Otago, and she is more determined than ever to achieve her goals and give back to her community.

“Now that I’m actually learning about dentistry, I realise how much there is to learn. And it’s just not about the teeth. We get taught about the face, even some of the limbs, all the nerves and everything. Dentistry ticks all the boxes: it means helping people and finding a meaningful job,” she says.

Petra’s vision is to make dentistry more accessible. “My dream is to have my own practice one day, perhaps even a mobile clinic. Dentistry is expensive, and that’s why a lot of New Zealanders don’t go to the dentist. It is seen as a luxury, although it’s an essential need,” she explains.

Petra is inspiring others

She also hopes to inspire others in her community.

“I get a lot of messages from my dad’s friends’ children asking me about my health science journey. It’s amazing that I can be a role model for these young girls, knowing that they see me do it and realise they can do it as well. 

Like me, their parents haven’t been to university, and they lack networks and resources. I’m proud that I can share my knowledge with these younger girls, and I feel very blessed to have the scholarship and the support.”