Aspiring to a career in Physiotherapy!
I want to help improve things for Māori, be an advocate and ensure the right information gets to where it needs to be. I want to continue to be able to help my own whānau too!"
Jorja O'neill, tertiary student
Ko Taranaki te maunga
Ko Patea ate awa
Ko Aotea te waka
Ko Wai o Turi te marae
Ko Ngā Rauru kitahi me Ngāti Ruanui te iwi
Jorja grew up in Hawera, attending St Joseph’s School Hawera and Hawera High School, graduating in 2022. Jorja originally registered with Why Ora five years ago, and attended our career expo days, and took part in Mātaki Shadowing /work experience.
Jorja says high school wasn’t always easy. “Half-way through my Year 11, the dreaded Covid hit, so ‘Lockdown’ meant online school. As well as that I had to have major back surgery which came with a lengthy and painful recovery, which equalled more time off school.
So, I literally just scraped through NCEA Level 1. Then when NCEA Level 2 came along I worked hard and got all merit and excellences, but by my final year I felt really ‘burnt out’ and decided school wasn’t for me. My parents persuaded me stay, so I did and graduated.
But at the time I left, I had no plan for future study or job opportunities, I was working part time and had no way out. I felt really stuck, because I knew I didn’t want to be working a minimum wage job forever. Fortunately for me this is when Why Ora stepped in.”
Through the support of Why Ora Jorja took on a cadetship and landed a great job as a therapy assistant with Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora at Taranaki Base Hospital.
“My role was essentially working under the Physiotherapists and Occupational therapists, seeing patients to complete exercise programmes, and general rehab. It was such a great opportunity for me, and I have learnt so much. When my grandmother had a stroke, I was able to help with her recovery. It really sparked my interest further.
I started thinking this might be the career path for me. Which would mean four years of study!
I also had this really strong desire to travel so in mid-2024, even though my cadetship had been extended, which I was really grateful for, and I had a great job, I took the plunge and decided to head overseas, before I got committed to anything further.”
Jorja was away for a few months travelling around Europe. “Travelling was fun, and I do plan on travelling more! but it wasn’t quite what I thought it would be, so I came home.
Photo: Jorja O’neill, Michelle Martin and Treal Niwa
Ready to study, I started a bridging course to help prepare for tertiary learning and have recently applied for year one of four years of physiotherapy study, via distance learning. It’s very competitive so I don’t yet know if I will get in, but if it’s meant to be it will be” says Jorja.
I am also working almost full-time in casual work with Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora. I want to help improve things for Māori, be an advocate and ensure the right information gets to where it needs to be. I want to continue to be able to help my own whānau too! Earlier on I had back surgery, so it meant I could strongly relate to what it feels like being a patient. You don’t know what it is like until you go through it yourself. I’m particularly interested in Sports Physio, Pre-Op and Post-Op because of my own and my whānau experiences.”
Jorja is interested in all things fitness and health and is a self-confessed “crazy adrenaline junkie.” Earlier this year Jorja went skydiving with her best friend as a fundraiser. A new hobby Jorja picked up more recently is boxing. “I absolutely loved it” says Jorja. “I went on to compete in 3 fights which were totally empowering and quite frankly life changing. It was a huge mental thing, I saw it as a way to give me a sense of purpose.”
We are excited to walk alongside Jorja as she continues on her hauora career journey.
