Class of 2019 Dux, Gareth Harcombe, returned to Wakatipu High School this August to speak with students about his involvement with the Student Volunteer Army and his career journey since leaving school.

Gareth also generously sat down for an interview with us the day before embarking on his next adventure — heading to Oxford, where he hopes to make a difference to healthcare through a PhD in Healthcare Data Science

Tell us about your experience at Wakatipu High School. 

"During my time at Wakatipu, I was very keen to try a lot of different things. I was a runner and did track and field and cross country. I was part of a band and played the guitar. I loved science and technology,  but also got into English. High school was a great way to see what I liked, what I didn't like. I think that was a nice thing about Wakatipu: it offers a lot of different options, and I think there's something for everyone. 

I very much enjoyed being outdoors, so Branches was a massive highlight of my time at WHS. Obviously the landscape is beautiful, just beautiful. But it was also challenging, hiking and climbing the hill up through the spear grass. I think the challenge makes it worth it, especially when you're with other people in the group and you're all kind of going through the same suffering together and it is a huge bonding moment. It sounds a bit weird, but it's quite fun and it makes it very memorable and unique in a good way. 

I was Dux in year 13, so that was a big highlight for me. It was, I guess, the culmination of many years of work. So, I was very proud of that moment. And, yeah, something I'm still very proud of to this day. So it stays with you".

When you think back on teachers or peers from high school,  who stands out?  What lessons did you learn from them?

"I was very fortunate to have quite a few teachers who I think were very instrumental to my high school and kind of learning career at large. I’m not going to name too many names because I don’t want to leave people out,  but I had a few maths teachers like Mr. Richards, Mr. Mac who were just very passionate about the subject. Math gets a bit of a bad rap, but they really found ways to make it interesting. Not just rote learning. “This is how you differentiate,” but “This is how you build up the intuition to get to the operation.” 

I very much believe that the best way to learn is to not just to memorize everything, but to actually figure out why things explode when you put a flame near them. Shakespeare is probably not that interesting if you just try to memorize a sonnet, but trying to understand the author behind the play makes the learning process so much more enjoyable and has massive long-term payoffs.

That learning was larger than high school in a sense. It may have been driven by how many NCEA credits you get and that kind of thing in my case, but it was also just kind of wanting to set myself up for a good life in the future. I think it's very easy to be pessimistic, thinking that once you finish high school, you go to university and high school doesn't matter anymore. And while at first look that might seem true because no one asks you how many credits you got in level three or whatever, I think it is actually a lot deeper. High school really sets you up for a lot of things beyond your time there. The learnings of both the subject and also the work ethic, knowing that I can do this. I know that I can study, that I can do good work. I think that that stayed with me and was a big motivating factor to set myself up for the future.

I think that was one half of the puzzle in terms of making school enjoyable. The other half was very much the students. There was a group of us in my year who were all very motivated and very keen to get good academic results. I think it makes it a lot more enjoyable when you’ve got other people you can study with, who you can kind of bounce ideas off. “I'm stuck on this problem like I don't understand what's going on. Can you help me with this?” Then they helped me with something and probably five minutes later I helped them with something. It was this good collaborative sharing of knowledge"

Are you still in touch with any of those friends?

"Yes, very much so. I was back in Queenstown over the Christmas, New Year's period and caught up with a few of them. We went for a bit of a run. I've caught a few of them through coffees around various places in New Zealand, which is really wholesome. I think it's so special that  these friendships aren't just for the five years that you're in high school. I hope to keep in contact with these friends the rest of my life. They're just such good people,  just so lovely to hang out with, which is really cool."

Can you tell us more about the Student Volunteer Army? 

"So, I love the Student Volunteer Army. I could talk about it for a long time. I got involved in volunteering through the Duke of Edinburgh program originally. It's a really cool way to meet new people and try new things. When I went to University of Canterbury, I remember the second weekend of university term they had this SVA event called the Big Give. It was on a Sunday morning, and literally everyone went. Hundreds of university students strolled out of bed at 8am and went and planted trees for a few hours and cleaned some mulch,  just doing some work in the community. I was blown away. Afterwards, they provided lunch and had some live music and some games and that kind of thing. It was just such a cool event to not only help the community but then also to meet new people, meet new students, and have some fun as well. 

It doesn't matter what you study, where you're from, how old you are, anything like that. Anyone can pick up a shovel and plant a tree. It really attracts so many people from so many different backgrounds. It's just really cool to connect with such amazingly selfless, altruistic people who just want to do good things in the world. I've very much kept in contact with these people from the Student Volunteer Army in the same way that I've kept in contact with people from high school, which I think is really special."

What advice would you give to current WHS students?

"Do the things that you enjoy. I think there are a few different ways to break that down. For one, pick the subjects that interest you. It's so much easier to spend many hours studying things if you're passionate about it and you actually enjoy the act of learning, learning about the subject and seeing how you can then apply that knowledge to do really cool things. I remember that I was very passionate about DIT (digital technology) in high school. I could kind of see how you could build websites and apps and all these really cool things with code and create things that added value. It’s much easier to achieve when you actually just love the things you're doing. I guess that's one part of it. We kind of touched on it before, having other people around you who are also really motivated and interested in things that they're learning is also really important. Doing things by yourself, it gets boring quickly, but if you can find some friends and work together, you can each motivate people. If my mate's not feeling too good or not feeling too motivated then I'll kind of help, give a bit of a kick. Likewise, if I'm not feeling very motivated then I'd hope they would do the same. Give me honesty. Keep me working".

You're leaving for Oxford tomorrow… What made you decide that was the right next step for you? What are you most looking forward to?

"I wanted to add something to the world. I think as much as I enjoyed previous roles and previous experiences, I wanted to use the technical skill that I've been honing for the past however many years—in high school and university—in terms of the technical computer and mathematics skills and combine that with the experience helping people I gained from the Student Volunteer Army. The two naturally mesh together and so it really felt like the right move. It’s two things I'm very passionate about, and it's really just an incredible opportunity. Using these data science skills, applying them to a sector like healthcare where we're hoping to improve health outcomes on a very fundamental level is truly a privilege. I think that's also what I'm most looking forward to: working with some of the best researchers in the world and hopefully finding ways to make an impact. I think there's nothing better than feeling like you've made a positive difference in the world.

Do you have any advice for WHS alumni?

"In terms of reconnecting with the high school, I think it's an incredible opportunity to give back to a community and educational institute that's obviously given a lot to us as alumni. But it's also just incredibly uplifting to connect with the next generation of students. Having conversations with alumni helps students work out what they want to do next. Choosing what you want to study at university, for example, or if you even want to go to university is a big decision. Having role models and people who have been through it before is really valuable and I'd highly recommend other alumni reach out to you and learn how they can give back".

Thank you so much for your time and safe travels!