Thank you from Jess

Posted by on 25 February 2026

Tēnā koutou, I am writing to express my heartfelt gratitude for this Scholarship. My PhD studies were interrupted in 2025 due to bereavements and health issues, in the final stages of my research, and so I needed a bit of extra support going forward, to get my PhD finished.

Having watched my own whānau deal with the ups and downs that come with aging, I was blessed to be in a position to learn a great deal about living with dementia and other health conditions. With these experiences in mind, it has shaped my approaches to research, current and future, and healthy aging is a core principle for me going forward. Finding the HOPE Foundation felt fortuitous, as it’s principles and visions are so in line with my own, and with this financial support, I will be able to continue to produce work which deals with these topics.

This award will be used for basics, sustaining me as I finish this journey, but the impact on my work, wellbeing and health cannot be overstated. It will allow me to schedule my work in a way that is appropriate for my current health status, and vastly reduce my stress levels. This in itself is a blessing, and it will additionally improve the overall quality and depth of my PhD work. For example, I would like to trial an assay which looks at the health of the mitochondria, which is a cellular component which produces energy for our cells. Mitochondria are heavily impacted in a lot of diseases, and through aging of our cells, especially in the disease I currently study. Now that I will be able to trial this assay, I hope to have a relatively simple tool which will allow me to better understand how these processes are happening and what they mean in Disease.

I also hope, (though potentially more so after I have handed in my PhD!) to do a lot more community work and outreach, as I have noted first hand how little information is sometimes received by older folks living with the diseases we are researching, and I think that is troubling. To borrow the often used saying: He aha te mea nui? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata. What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people. Having spent a lot of time in various care settings, learning to communicate with older folks, especially those living with dementia, and with disabled people, I feel well equipped to go into our aging communities to talk, share, and listen.

Thank you for the support given through this award, I truly cannot explain what a relief and honour it is to have received it.

Ngā mihi nui | Kindest regards,