Dana Abusaleh is a proud Hillcrest High School alumna (Class of 2021) now forging an exciting career in engineering. Featured in Leaving School Magazine (Issue #34), Dana shares how a love of design, making, and problem-solving shaped her path into mechanical engineering.
Now in the final year of her Bachelor of Engineering with Honours at the University of Waikato, Dana is also completing a Diploma in Engineering Management. Her journey demonstrates persistence, curiosity, and the power of taking opportunities even when you aren’t yet “perfectly ready”.
Dana credits much of her success to subjects she took at Hillcrest High in Year 13, including Maths, Art, Physics, Chemistry and English, with Level 3 Calculus completed early in Year 12. She also undertook UniStart papers through Waikato, completing first-year engineering maths and modelling while still at school, a step that helped with transition into tertiary study.
Internship Success & Graduate Programme Acceptance
Over summer, Dana completed a three-month internship at Fonterra Te Rapa, working on chemical tank compliance and health and safety systems. She particularly enjoyed visiting processing facilities and seeing how “large-scale production works day to day”, saying she learned something new every single day.
Her dedication and strong work ethic have now been rewarded with acceptance into the Fonterra Engineering Graduate Programme, commencing December. Dana is excited by the scale of career opportunities available in the dairy engineering sector, noting:
“There are so many options and career paths as an engineer in the dairy industry.”
Advice for Future Pathway Students
Dana encourages other rangatahi to give things a go and apply even if they feel unsure:
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“Don’t hold back on opportunities just because you think you’re not ready or that your grades aren’t perfect — apply anyway.”
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Get involved in university clubs, networking, and career events.
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Learn to communicate clearly — she credits English as one of her most valuable subjects.
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Hands-on experience is key: Dana reflects she wishes she had taken metalwork or woodwork earlier at school.
Final Message
Dana’s story highlights the value of combining academic challenge with creativity and practical application. From Hillcrest High School to the Fonterra Graduate Programme, her journey shows that with passion for solving problems and willingness to step into new environments, young people can engineer their own horizons.
Source:
Leaving School Magazine – Issue #34 (October 2025), Page 20: “Opening Up Career Options – Engineering Graduate Programmes”
