A somewhat comprehensive history of Java's activities.

🔝

👷 Employment and Volunteering

🧑‍🏫 Teaching Assistant

I was a teaching assistant for the fantastic COMMS 301 – Digital Communication and Practice course at The University of Auckland with the remarkable Dr Ethan Plaut. As Teaching Assistant, I host lecture/tutorial format workshops, tutoring a large cohort of students on computer programming concepts and implementation.

👨‍🏫 Graduate Teaching Assistant

I am a graduate teaching assistant for the new COMMS 103 – Digital Communication and Practice course at The University of Auckland with the excellent Dr Ethan Plaut. As a Graduate Teaching Assistant, I mark assignments, teach tutorials and run computer science labs for over sixty students.

🎈 MATES Mentoring

Working with The Great Potentials Foundation, I have helped various students from Southern Cross Campus and Auckland Girls Grammar School with creative subjects and their transition from high school to tertiary education. Additionally, I've mentored year eight students at Finlayson Park School as part of the MATES Jr. programme.

👨‍🎨 Youth Arts New Zealand

I volunteer in various Youth Arts New Zealand projects, operating in hands-on and consultation capacities. Current responsibilities include online and in-person community engagement.

🎨 Art Jam

I host the YANZ Art Jam every month on behalf of Youth Arts New Zealand and in collaboration with Shore Junction.

Read more about Art Jam here

🎉 VIBE Youth Arts Festival

Volunteered with hands-on roles for VIBE Youth Festival 2019 in Henderson, Auckland.

📖 Education

🏫 University of Auckland

Graduating 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Sociology and Communication. Additionally, my completion of the Arts Scholars module includes a dissertation exploring educational pedagogy in online videos. I am the first in my family to attend university. Read more

🗺 Leadership

🧭 Arts Scholars Orientation

Every year of my degree, I have assisted in orientating the new cohort of Arts Scholars. A believer in the programme, I help the new students adjust to the course and university.

🗳 Representation

Throughout my degree, I've held leadership roles such as multiple class representative positions and helped form and manage student consultation processes for the university and its students.

Read more

📚 Academic

🥇 Top of Class

I achieved the highest grades of my cohort in the following classes

• Communication 300 – New Media and the Future of Communication
• Sociology 206 – Sociology for Auckland
• Sociology 326 – Sociology for Violence and Death

🏆 High Grades

I have achieved distinctive grades in the following classes:

🧐 Arts Scholars

The Arts Scholars programme has been the defining aspect of my undergraduate experience.

“The Arts Scholars courses consider important subjects in-depth and explore alternate perspectives. Learning and curiosity are the ultimate goal. Also, the people are pretty cool.” - Java.

During my final year of the programme, I'm undergoing a research project into the educational pedagogy of social science YouTube videos to understand how to effectively use videos for scalable, accessible, and engaging education.

🏫 Kerikeri High School

I completed NCEA Level 3 with excellence endorsement, university entrance and a photography scholarship.

🗺 Leadership

🤵 Prefect

As a KKHS prefect, I worked with career building and pathway discovery for year twelve students. I also represented the school at community and cultural events.

👩‍👦 Peer Support

As a KKHS peer support mentor, I introduced the year seven cohort to the school and made them comfortable in the new learning environment.

🇳🇿 Kiwi Buddy Programme

One of my most rewarding roles was that of Kiwi Buddy. Tasked with making international students welcome in their new school and culture, I befriended 50+ incredible people from all over the world. Directly I was assigned to students from Switzerland, Japan, and the United States.

This programme hugely influenced my life and led me to travel the world in 2018. Read more

⏱ Debating Coach

Just as kind students before me tutored my cohort, I assisted in developing the abilities of younger debaters throughout my time debating at Kerikeri High School.

🤺 Debating

As a part of the KKHS debating team, we were champions in the Russell McVey Debating tournament in 2013, 2014, and 2015. We achieved a second placement in Northland for the Russell McVey Debating Tournament in 2014.

😀 Attitude

I have received WAKA Excellence in Attitude awards every year offered at Kerikeri High School across multiple subjects.

📚 Academic

• Elite Honours Award: Academic – NCEA Level 1 (2015)
• Award for Top Scholar (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)
• Award for Academic Excellence (2011, 2012, 2017)

📃 ICAS Achievement Awards

I achieved notable results in International Competitions and Assessments for Schools throughout high school.

📸 Scholarship — NZQA Photography

NZQA recognised my efforts in Art Photography with an NZQA scholarship for university.

"Scholarship candidates are expected to demonstrate high-level critical thinking, abstraction and generalisation, and to integrate, synthesise and apply knowledge, skills, understanding, and ideas to complex situations." — NZQA

🧑‍💼 Idea Bootcamp

I have completed The University of Auckland Business School’s Idea Bootcamp, where teams identify problems and create viable solutions–honing creative problem-solving skills, business model utilisation, data collection and analysis.

🗳 Student Representation

I have presented students' interests to the university on multiple occasions, in various formats, including through the creation of feedback sessions between students and faculty.

💰 Social Sciences Funding Cuts

I successfully ran a campaign to garnish student awareness and engage with faculty regarding funding cuts to the Social Sciences, despite an increase in enrollments. I handed off this social momentum to the Arts Students Organisation at the university.

📜 Student Consultations

Involvement in the organisation, participation and management of various forms of student consultation at The University of Auckland, working with AUSA, the Arts faculty, and the Arts Scholars programme.

Issues covered include communication mechanisms, university–student relations, and the responsibilities of the university in creating a safe and effective educational space for all students.

📣 AUSA Class Representation

I've represented many classes for student-lecturer engagement, staff-student consultations and student-university communications.

• Arts Scholars 100
• Arts Scholars 200
• Arts Scholars 300
• Sociol 203
• Sociol 208
• Sociol 310
• Sociol 333

I have also represented the department of Social Sciences in the Arts Faculty consultation meetings twice and the Arts Scholars module once.

🗳 University Student Representative Campaign

Although I didn't hold student representative, I ran an otherwise successful campaign as a first-year student, gathering 7% of votes and placing 4th.

🎖 Achievements

🌍 Overseas Experience

My most significant achievement to date has been my overseas experience. In 2018 I worked for eight months to travel for four months across ten countries. The experience both challenged my worldview and was incredibly fun.

• 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
• 🇮🇹 Italy
• 🇭🇺 Hungary
• 🇨🇿 Czechia
• 🇦🇹 Austria
• 🇩🇪 Germany
• 🇨🇭 Switzerland
• 🇵🇹 Portugal
• 🇧🇷 Brazil
• 🇨🇱 Chile

🧑‍🎓 First in Family

Beginning my degree, I was surprised by many aspects of the academic system. I was unfamiliar with even simple elements, for example, correctly referencing sources in my essays. While I may not have had access to experienced family members, I substituted for another resource — my friends. I’m proud of my success at university, much of it due to my ability to engage with students and faculty to problem-solve and overcome difficulties in the new environment.

⚙️ Projects

🎨 Art Jam

I host the YANZ Art Jam on behalf of Youth Arts NZ and in collaboration with Shore Junction. The event was a three-hour social and artistic meet-up for local creatives to develop and collaborate on personal projects in a supportive environment.

✏️ Illustrations

I enjoy illustrating things in my downtime. I use Procreate on an iPad to make them happen.

🦉 New Zealand Birds

I'm proud of my New Zealand birds! I might make them into prints someday.

🖼 Visualiser.js

I constructed a framework for generating live audio visualisers in the browser. Using JavaScript, the HTML Audio API and HTML canvas, this framework enables anyone with even a small amount of programming knowledge to create an audio visualiser in 2d, 3d or both! The framework utilises customisable plugins and layers to generate graphics on the fly.

See on github

📄 Assignments

I am particularly proud of a number of my assignments.

🤦‍♀️ Facelist

As a submission for Comms 301, I created Facelist, a Facebook satire that you can access here.

Tip: try clocking in with "Harry" or "Frodo".

Mark: 10/10

"Amazing work. This is really biting in its critique, and your reflection as you walk through your project is really insightful. The amount of detail you have taken in altering Facebook is incredible." -Tutor

"Ahhhhh facelist is amazing!!" -Lecurer

Explore Facelist

🚫 Anti-bullying Programme

For Sociol 326 I designed 'Got what it takes', a violence prevention programme targeting bullying behaviours in New Zealand high schools. The assignment was grounded in role strain theory, included methods for evaluating the programme and acknowledged potential implementation limitations.

Mark: 39/40

"One word: Sophistication If you explicitly talked about the interconnection between the Role Strain and HM, it would be even better." –Tutor.

Read the proposal

🔮 The Past, Present and Future of Labour Facilitation

This essay looks into the shifting role of labour and capital in labour relations under the uber production model. The obligations of labourers are increasing while their job stability, incomes and rights are all shrinking. Additionally, labourers are now expected to front capital to sell their labour while receiving none of the traditional capitalist rewards.

Mark: 25/25

"This is a well researched and well written piece of work. While you present a wide array of technologies and businesses as examples, you manage to package them in a clearly structured and coherent essay that works to analyze technological progress through an economic determinist view. You demonstrate a wealth of knowledge and understanding when it comes to the processes of labor and the impacts caused by the systems that facilitate these processes. Also how technology and the 'Uber' model could be playing into those ideas under capitalism and the exploitation of automation. I am deeply impressed and highly commend you on your work and efforts with this assignment. Well done!" -Tutor

Read the essay

🏠 Ethnicity & Place Stratification in Auckland

This essay uses Spatial Assimilation and Place Stratification theories to model the effects of race and ethnicity. Precisely how these factors affect actualising socio-economic status into actual attainment for the minority Māori population in the Auckland region. The arguments are supported along the way by quantitative data collected from NZ.Stat.

Mark: 20/20

"Well done Java on an insightful paper. This is the type of data analysis that is important to begin conversations on discrimination and racism. Congratulations on an outstanding paper." -Lecturer

Read the essay

🏡 Autobiography – My Role in Gentrification

Mark: 30/30

"Thank you for sharing your experiences with me Java. As always, you have written a wonderfully critical paper. Your ability to weave not only the personal with theory but also Auckland city with broader national concerns is to be commended. I have enjoyed getting to know you this semester through your writing, and I look forward to having you in my classes again in the future." -Lecturer

Read the essay

⚒️ Marxist Theory for Ihumatao

Mark: 19/20

"Well done Java on an intellectually stimulating analysis of Ihumātao. I look forward to reading more of your work." -Lecturer

Read the essay

📣 Anti-Union Rhetoric and Structure: It’s time for unions to re-brand

Mark: 28.2/30

"Good use of examples, excellent work, moves a bit fast at points and could benefit from slower more methodical explanation, but otherwise a very strong essay. Well done!" -Tutor

Read the essay

👨‍👩‍👦 Analysis of Intimate Partner Relationships in The Tattoo

Mark: 18.5/20

"Java, excellent job. All 3 of us (Tutor1, Tutor2 and me) read your essay. Tutor2 described it as "beautiful" and although we assume you put a good deal of work into it, they said it read as if it was written effortlessly. Our only critique is you cut back on digging into one theoretical perspective. Your application of the theories are great, but a bit more describing selected theories would have helped. You do a good job with hegemonic masculinity. With coercive control, you introduce and bring out a detailed aspect of Starks' perspective with safety zones. But you don't define it thoroughly and you had some word count space to do so. Still, your application of CC and HM is great. Good job also bringing in Foucault. Overall, a very sophisticated analysis." –Lecturer

Read the essay

👊 Essays on Violence

• Defining Violence
• Gender & Sexuality
• Popular Culture
• Activating Privilege

Mark: 37/40

No feedback was given for final assignments.

Read the essays

📋 Data Gathering Instrument

Mark: 25/25

"Kia Ora Java, I enjoyed reading your assignment as it eloquently offers a refined data gathering instrument and literature review. Your literature is insightful and offers nuance to your research question. Great incorporation of graphs. Well done!" –Tutor

View the instrument

🔎 Research Proposal: The Needs and Desires of Tasmin and Southland Retail Workers

Mark: 36/40

No feedback given for final assignments.

Read the proposal

🎭 The Contested Definition of Culture

This was my first university essay!

Mark: 17/20

"Kia ora Java, This was an interesting and well articulated essay, which followed a clear narrative progression, however this could have been outlined more clearly in the introduction. Discussion of the conservative scholars covered some important aspects of their work, and engaged well with critiques. This is contrasted well with that of Williams, however the discussion included the perspective of so many scholars that the essay could not address these in detail. Nonetheless, as the different definition are discussed, the implications are acknowledged for most of these. Narrowing the scope of the essay to allow for more detailed analysis would have allowed for a higher mark, but nonetheless this was great work." –Tutor

Read the essay

💿 The Right to Remix: Lessons from Pirate Cinema

Mark: 27/30

"Kia ora Java, This was an engaging project essay, with the cultural text and essay question chosen aligning well. The discussion of the text is contextualised well within debates around copyright law, acknowledging the differing perspectives on this. While this is important contextual information, a lot of the essay was dedicated to exploring this issue, meaning that there was less opportunity for focus on the analysis of the cultural text at hand, or the work of Jenkins as the subject of the essay question. Nonetheless, when these subjects are explored in the essay they are done so well, demonstrating a good understanding of the appropriate theory. Overall, this was an excellent essay." –Tutor

Read the essay

🎞 GIF Project

Mark: 10/10

"Excellent work. Your reflection is really insightful and shows some keen consideration. Your Flappy Bird GIF is particularly charming." –Tutor

🤖 Meme Twitter Bot

Mark: 15/15

"This is SO GOOD. The Tracery grammar developing the text, as you note, could be improved, expanded, developed in different directions, but even in this kind of raw dadaist version, the mashup is great! Would be curious to hear about that bug and why you chose url.me instead of memegen? Holler!" –Lecturer

See on twitter

🎬 Review of In the Age of AI

Mark: 25/25

"Kia ora Java, This is a very well-written and insightful review that delves into the complexities of your text while also addressing the ways in which an audience can absorb this information. I particularly enjoyed the way in which you infused your own background in sociology to articulate how the documentary comments on the economic impacts of automation. You've also interestingly pointed out the documentary's shortcomings in how it frames its subject through the consequences of misusing technology to hard company profits, while rightly pointing out concern for those same companies to suffer no backlash under the pretense of creating jobs. I found this to be a very thought-provoking piece that explored the various facets of technological determinism and the ways in which it can lead to an increase in unemployment with the rise of automation. Well done!" –Tutor

Read the review

👟 Postmodern Advertising: The role of brands as a cultural resource for identity signalling

Mark: 17/20

"Java, Your essay shows a good understanding of the essay question and Holt's discussion on cultural resource versus cultural blueprint. The approach you have taken in focusing L&P as a brand is a great strength to your essay and indicates a great-level of engagement with course content. The main point of feedback I have for you is your application of concepts. While you have identified and included a number of key terms, they are needing some further unpacking in order to consider their significance and the effect upon the ad itself in taking this approach. By doing this you will be able to strengthen your argument as a whole and allow for a smoother flow of ideas. This essay is a great start and clearly shows your strong understanding of the content and ability to successfully undergo independent research. Nice work! If you have any questions or if any of my feedback needs clarifying please don't hesitate to let me know." –Tutor

Read the essay

🩺 Reflections on New Zealand Health Inequalities Amplified by Housing, Isolation, and Stratification

Mark: 18.34/20 pts

Read the essay

🤳 ADHD Discourse on TikTok: Relatable Disease or Normal Behaviour?

Mark: 22.04/29

"Hi Java, You've picked an important topic to study, and were quite thorough in your description and analysis of the Tik Tok videos. As well, you do a good job of articulating why the information discrepancies matter. One area that could have been stronger is the introduction. While you do a good job of introducing TikTok and why its coverage matters, it would have been helpful to articulate your rationale for choosing ADHD. Also, you should always end your introduction with a roadmap, which describes what you will be covering in your paper. Regarding the content, while your discussion of the videos was thorough, I would have liked to see a discussion about the sources of the problems. Nevertheless, this was a fine effort overall, and I hope analysing the TikTok content has helped you see the discrepancies that exist between the medical literature and the media portrayals of disease. take good care of yourself and I wish you the best of luck with all your future endeavours, Lecturer :)." –Lecturer

Read the essay

🧹 Does tidying bring you joy? The distinction of minimalism as ideology

Mark: 28.5/30

"This is a good piece; cogent and the sections are well balanced. The show and/or its philosophy is kept central to the analysis, and acts as a thread that links content. The "debunking" aspect of this is compelling. The correspondence between distinction and ideology is clearer toward the end, a little less clear up front." –Lecturer

Read the essay

🧱 An Evaluation of Ideology and Radical Constructivism

Mark: 19.25/20

"This is well-written and shows a good understanding of the concepts. Good to see someone grapple with Luhmann and do it well. The analytic paragraph does something novel, which is also good to see." –Lecturer

Read the essay

🎞 Scenefinder

Mark: 20/20

"Kia ora, Java. What an awesome project! Both your documentation and essay are sound and unique. You demonstrate an excellent understanding of course content; your arguments are strong and well-developed. Brilliant work, really. It is always a pleasure to read such insightful writing. (Random comment: I was surprised to see 3 of the YouTube channels I subscribe to on page 12 + Chomsky!)" –Tutor

Read the reflection

💪 Resilience vs Resilience; How to utilise disruption for change

Mark: 19/20

Read the essay

🎞 Article Review: “Top-down reconstruction and the failure to “build back better” resilient communities after disaster: lessons from the 2009 L'Aquila Italy earthquake”

Mark: 28/30

Read the review

📚 Literature Review: The Conflicting Expectations of Waipapa Taumata Rau

Mark: 15/20

"This great literature review spanned several key texts and ideas that will make critiquing and engaging an exciting and straightforward project in the next semester. However, I think the shift in the topic may have disadvantaged you in terms of time. This could have been a fantastic literature review with more time, as I have seen your previous work. The main thing missing in this is how each idea is essential to your overall question. So in each idea/term paragraph, you needed to include: Understanding academic capitalism allows us to track how capital influences the academy; this is particularly important in a New Zealand context where universities source revenues from government, commercial operations, students and charity. Otherwise, you essentially have a dictionary. You also needed to have the context and neoliberal shifts in NZ universities at the front; this would have made it easier to understand why these key concepts are appropriate to New Zealand." –Lecturer

Read the review

🔬 Research Proposal: The Conflicting Expectations of Waipapa Taumata Rau | The University of Auckland

Mark: 38/40

"Fantastic work Java that reflects your capability. Great literature review that was much more cohesive and wove things together. There were moments the relation to the overall question could have been clearer. Perhaps we can discuss some techniques for this over the semester. Your writing is improving and once you nail the clear communication piece we can start to weave your voice into the work again - the joy of PG is making, unmaking and remaking our writing so that it walks that fine balance between clearly communicated and reflective of the author. You have some brilliant one-liners in here that you build to with evidence and examples, well done. You have carefully through your proposal and as a result, have a really solid proposal here." –Lecturer

Read the proposal