When St Peter's Alumni Kieran Lawson began officer training with the New Zealand Army in January, he expected to spend the year developing his military leadership skills in New Zealand. Just four days into training, however, his plans took an exciting turn.
Having successfully completed the New Zealand Army's Officer Selection Board in 2025, he was selected for the highly competitive opportunity to study at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) in Canberra.
"I was told I would be attending ADFA and needed to have my bags packed because I was leaving for Australia in just three days. It all happened incredibly quickly."
Today, he is studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) on a full scholarship while undertaking military training with the Australian Defence Force. His days combine university study with military leadership development, including morning training and intensive exercises throughout term breaks.
Reflecting on his journey, he believes the breadth of opportunities he embraced at St. Peter's played a significant role in preparing him for success.
"Something that I believe helped me to get here was participating in as many different things that I could manage. Throughout St. Peters I played many sports, took leadership opportunities when they were presented and participated in other extracurriculars such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award. While I was not always good at many of these, they each taught me many new things, such as persistence and humor when I made a mistake.
His advice for current St Peter's students is simple but powerful:
"If I could give my younger self one piece of advice, it would be to give 100% to everything you do. Looking back, I can see times when I could have given more. Knowing where I am now, I would have been disappointed if I'd fallen short because I chose the easy option instead of giving it my all.
"I also found that I got so much more out of the activities where I fully committed, whether I enjoyed them at the time or not."
His story is a testament to the value of embracing opportunities, challenging yourself beyond your comfort zone and committing wholeheartedly to every experience. These are qualities that continue to open doors long after students leave St. Peter's.