When University of Waikato lecturer Nadine Ballam has her PhD conferred next week she will be the first student to have studied entirely at the university in Tauranga from undergraduate level to doctor.

Nadine began a Bachelor of Teaching in 2004 and is now a lecturer in Human Development and Counselling at the Faculty of Education.

Dr Nadine Ballam, PhD.

She's awarded her doctorate for a thesis focussing on the experiences of gifted and talented young people from low socio-economic environments in New Zealand.

Nadine sought to determine how they were able to achieve and succeed despite the often challenging environments in which they grew up.

'One of the key findings to come out of the research was what spurred these young people to achieve. Rather than poverty being a risk factor in their lives, it gave them the drive and motivation they needed to aim higher,” says Nadine.

'On the other hand, their giftedness, and the confidence it brings, often burdened them with huge expectations to do well. Many struggled with this tension and the feeling of living in two different worlds.”

Nadine surveyed 93 young people online and conducted eight in-depth interviews. The cohort comprises opportunistic people, who recognise opportunities and know how to make the most of them.

They all say that having good relationships with family and teachers is the most valuable factor in being able to identify opportunities to develop their talent, says Nadine.

'It's not always about just throwing money at something. It may be a teacher recognising a talent or interest and offering the student opportunities to develop it – this can be life-changing for a young person. I hope their stories will help inform others about what can be achieved.”

Another interesting finding is the students' preference for working in a competitive environment, which they find motivating, but which many schools have pulled away from because it contradicts the current national education approaches.

Those interviewed are now either studying, or are following careers in business, law, performing arts, fine arts, and professional sport.

Nadine hopes her research will spur more debate in the area of gifted and talented young people and already has plans to expand her study in several areas.

One project to begin soon is tracking a cohort of children, from schools ranging from low to high decile ratings, from Year 6 through to their first year of college. The project will look particularly at how schools can potentially work together to help make educational transitions less scary and more successful for gifted children.

The University of Waikato's Tauranga graduation ceremony takes place on Friday, 11 April at Tauranga's Holy Trinity. Nadine will be among over 170 graduands to be conferred.