Having placed eighth in the women’s quad at the 2022 Rowing World Cup, Kristen is working hard to qualify for Paris 2024.
Although she is committed to her dream of racing in Paris, Kristen says she knows her long rowing journey is getting towards its peak and it is important she starts looking at post-elite sports options.
“I’ve been rowing for so long I felt I had missed a lot of potential work experience opportunities that other uni students have had.
“The experience I’m gaining through the internship is really important to help me get into the workforce.”
A Bachelor of Environmental Science in environmental management is a great fit with Kristen’s internship employer, Element Environmental, a start-up environmental specialist company.
Kristen is full of praise for her internship employers at Element Environmental.
“Because I’m based in Cambridge for rowing, Element Environmental has been incredibly supportive and flexible with my ‘remote’ working environment,” she says.
“The company is based in Canterbury, my supervisor is based in Wellington and I meet reasonably regularly with one of the management team who is in the Waikato.
“Recently we did a visit to a farm to help assess how the farmer can reduce the level of pollution in a stream which runs through his property.
“This sounds simple but it has enabled me to put my degree into practice which I’m loving.”
Element Environmental director Matt Highway says his company heard about Kristen and the programme through another connection who was not able to offer her an internship.
“We were delighted to be able to accommodate the needs of a part-time intern and from the time we met Kristen recognised that not only is she a neat person but she’s a good fit with our business,” says Matt.
“Her environmental science qualifications were great and it has been a wonderful opportunity to support Kristen in her career.
“And there’s a real benefit in it for us. She’s a very capable person who has been able to pick up work that our team might not have been able to get to.”
Matt says the financial contribution from HPSNZ certainly made the decision to take Kristen on board easier. “It takes the pressure off, especially in a consulting business which can be a time and cost sensitive environment where every dollar and hour counts for our clients.”
“We are all 100% behind Kristen’s sporting priorities and with good communication and flexibility have no difficulty accommodating her training and competition needs.”
About the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Athlete Internship Programme
The success of the initial pilot programme in 2022 has resulted in the 2023 Prime Minister’s Scholarship Athlete Internship Programme providing 10 paid internships to support athlete wellbeing and preparation for life after sport.
The internship provides an opportunity to help athletes sustain dual careers, and explore work options aligned to their interests and qualifications. Participants work with the HPSNZ Athlete Internship Lead to create an internship that suits them.
