Briana Steven

(Class of 2018)

From the science fair and competing at the Orienteering World Championships, to her experience at UC Berkley after winning the Fulbright Scholarship, Briana has had a fascinating journey through her education. Briana is currently completing her PhD at the University of Canterbury where she investigates the way blood flows, using physical models that mimic the properties of the human body.

What do you look back on as highlights from your time at CHS?

There’s quite a few! I really enjoyed classroom learning itself as well as my co-curriculars. Highlights include music tour, being in band and orchestra playing percussion, and doing a lot of adventure racing and orienteering. In Year 13 I entered the science fair competition investigating how wood quality and origin affects the sound of a marimba and really enjoyed that experience.

You have competed internationally in orienteering, what do you find so engaging about it?

I’ve been doing orienteering since I was tiny, so it’s always been a big part of my life. The funny thing about orienteers is that a lot of them seem to be engineers or doctors. I think it’s because orienteering needs the same problem solving mindset; you’ve got to plan your route and navigate through various unpredictable features out in the terrain. Taking in a lot of information and processing it while under pressure is super engaging and the resiliency you need to be out in the forest on your own, are skills which help me in both engineering and orienteering.

What was your journey through tertiary study?

I knew I wanted to do mechanical engineering at UC because I’d heard really good things about the programme, and I wasn’t ready to move yet. My dad had done a PhD in engineering which inspired me. I loved biology in high school and was sad to drop that going into mechanical engineering, but when I got to UC I discovered that they offer a medical minor in engineering, which was perfect for me. After taking some anatomy papers in my fourth year I did a final project based around biomechanical engineering. While I was in my final year, representatives from the Fulbright Scholarship held an information session and on a whim, I decided to apply. Excitingly, I got the scholarship! So I went over to UC Berkley for my masters (and of course got the merch), then came back here to start my PhD.

What did you enjoy most about Berkley?

The university itself; it was incredibly exciting to be there. The resources and opportunities that they had were miles better than what we have in New Zealand. Our lecturers had amazing contacts and we would constantly have high profile CEO’s and entrepreneurs as guest lecturers. On top of that, the projects that we were exposed to were incredible and the resources in the laboratories that they had were top-notch. For instance I had the chance to complete a project in a human kinetics lab, which was an awesome experience! It was worth uprooting my life to live in California for a year. I highly recommend applying for scholarships, such as Fulbright, as they can open up incredible opportunities.

What did you find was the biggest change in going from school to university?

The style of learning. University is a completely different learning environment to high school — lecturers, assignments, weekly quizzes were definitely a big change and a different way of learning and absorbing information. I was able to skip most of first year engineering because I’d already decided on my engineering discipline and had done a math course (MATH199) while at school. Obviously, a good reason to do first year is to experience that new style of learning while not being bombarded with new material at the same time, so I was thrown into the deep end by skipping that, but I managed. The PhD process has been completely different from all my other studies, but also the most rewarding. It’s been super cool to discover information that technically no one has known before.

What’s next for you? 

Hopefully a job! Throughout my studies, I’ve been fortunate to gain exposure to companies and  fields where I could work such as through an internship at a medical device company, which allowed me to see what the jobs would actually be like. Additionally, at Berkley I was able to rub shoulders with some exciting overseas companies, all of which has given me a good insight into the industry. In the distant future I might go back to academia, though perhaps in a lecturer or researcher role, rather than as a student.

What advice would you give to students?

As long as you’re working to the best of your ability and understand the concepts, striving for perfection — as I sometimes did — is just going to stress you out. In school and university take time to have fun and enjoy yourself. Engineering in New Zealand prioritises problem solving, being a well-rounded person, and a team player, so it’s worth getting used to group projects! Everyone has different strengths and skills, and it’s better to use that to your advantage rather than trying to do everything on your own.

How has Cashmere set you up for your studies/career? 

It gave me the fundamentals and I had some amazing teachers. Seeing the passion and joy someone can have for a subject they’re teaching, showed me that if you care about something it can take you far. It was interesting hearing about the previous jobs some of my teachers had, prior to working at Cashmere. For example, my Physics teacher Mr Cooper had worked in finance, which surprised me at the time as he had a physics degree. I now  understand the significant crossover between physics and finance, as both fields rely on similar computer modelling. Additionally, activities such as the science fair and the STAR programme (which allowed me to do university maths in Year 13) were valuable to me, and without Cashmere offering them, I wouldn’t have had the opportunities. I got a lot more out of school than just NCEA credits. I was very passionate about my extra-curricular activities and they made my time throughout my schooling more fun and varied. So, when you find something that interests you, pursue it wholeheartedly!

Was there anyone at Te Iringa O Kahukura who made an impression on you?

Mrs Carpenter who taught me Biology in Year 12 was incredible. Her love for plants was obvious — she seemed to know so many Latin names! Her enthusiasm for the subject was infectious and made me really excited to learn because she was so passionate about teaching it. Also, Dr Patterson who taught me Chemistry in Year 13 was really cool and encouraging of us all. He didn’t mind when two friends and I wanted to wear the lab coats every session (even though no one else was wearing them) which we loved. All my science teachers seemed so passionate about their subjects which in turn made me excited to be there and learn.

August 2025. Interviewed and written by: Naomi Wilson, 13WJJ, Year 13 English Prefect