This month our My Story candidate is our April 'Temp of the Month', Jessica Hill.

1. Tell me a little about where you grew up and what it was like.

I grew up in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guniea. Growing up there as a Kiwi, red-headed girl made me stand out for more reasons than just my pale skin. A completely different way of life than what it's like here in New Zealand and also not easy to explain. If growing up with barred windows, markets around every corner and having guards outside the house on a daily basis is any help. This was simply the norm for me.
The local folk are the kind of people that always had the largest smiles and are very family orientated (i.e tribal). Though many of my friends as a child were expats like myself, but were all originally from different parts of the world. The country itself is tropical and faces no such thing as winter, spring, autumn or summer. So it was rather hard for me to get used to colder temperatures in the winter when I first came to live in New Zealand.

2. Why did you choose the career you have worked in?

Initially, as I was completely new to the workforce in general, I wished to develop my skills and myself as a person. I wanted to learn more about myself and others and taking this opportunity to work as a retail assistant has really done that for me. I've learned that I thoroughly enjoy working with/helping other people and I've come to understand more about how other people live here in New Zealand. Though unlikely that I will pursue a career in retail in the future, I do greatly enjoy working with others and therefore, will likely pursue a career where I can continue to help others.

3. What was it about NZ that attracted you?

I was originally brought here with my family to complete my high schooling for educational purposes. Though the reasons my family chose New Zealand is because we are originally from New Zealand and extended family live here also. So ultimately, family and familiarity is the answer here, even though my siblings and I didn't find it so familiar at first.

4. How have you found living and working in NZ?

Ultimately, like an adventure. There are many things here that continue to excite and surprise me everyday. Like a child in a candy store is the general picture I imagine.

5. Can you tell me a little about your experience with Alpha, and how we have been involved in your journey?

It was about a year ago when I was trying to get into the workplace, coming fresh out of university. Having little work experience didn't make it easy but it wasn't until I got this sudden phone call after applying for a job through alpha that things started to move forward. It was the fastest response from anyone that I had ever gotten. I was quickly hired and started my current job within a week. Alpha helped me find an opportunity that was suited for me and I am incredibly grateful for it.