Hannah Creamer
Master of Science in Exercise and Sport Studies Graduate Fellow, Smith College, Northampton, USA
Bachelor of Sport and Recreation in Health and Physical Education & Sport and Exercise Science
After several rewarding years working in community sports in Auckland, Hannah Creamer has taken her passion for women’s health and performance to the USA where she is now studying a Master of Science in Exercise and Sport Studies at Smith College.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to earn a full scholarship to study for two years at Smith College in Massachusetts to do a Master of Science in Exercise and Sport Studies. My studies are supported by an organisation called Project Coach where I’m a fellow. We work with high schools in Springfield, Massachusetts, to teach the students life skills through sports. It’s an excellent combination of coaching and leadership, and challenging my philosophies of both of these!
“I’ve completed my first year here and am expecting to graduate in May 2026. As part of my master’s degree, I’m doing a thesis on menstrual cycles and exercise performance, which is a pilot study. I’m presenting my preliminary findings at the NEACSM conference in October.
I’m definitely proud of my scholarship, and the opportunity to get involved with a different college experience and open new doors for me in the sector.”
Feeling inspired
Having always been passionate about sport, Hannah says the first step towards her current studies and work was enrolling in AUT’s Bachelor of Sport and Recreation; a degree she chose because of its combination of practical placements and theory.
“Experience is everything in order to be employed, so to have the opportunity to build my capabilities and my CV at the same time was a no-brainer! I knew I wanted something that would challenge me academically, so AUT was the perfect choice.
“I came into the degree planning to only do health and physical education, and go into secondary teaching, but because of the variety of courses you do in the first year, I ended up discovering a real love of physiology and anatomy. This led to me picking up the Sport and Exercise Science major, which I loved the whole way through. Getting to do lab work and practical workshops, and then assignments based on real experiences we had across both majors made my assignments feel like they had a purpose beyond testing my knowledge.”
Throughout her studies there were a few experiences that made a particular impression on her.
“I was incredibly grateful to have Dr Charlotte Jelleyman as my final-year supervisor, and she was an incredible support during some stressful times. The relationship we had was crucial to my success in my final-year courses and she helped me develop personal characteristics that have helped me be successful in my job now. Being placed with her was an absolute highlight.
“I also remember sitting in an exercise physiology lecture, and for half of the lecture Dr Ed Maunder was focusing on women and it just felt like a huge lightbulb went off over my head. Learning about the paucity of research across women’s health in exercise and that even less had been done on young women was a real motivating factor to me. I ended up designing my final workplace experience project around this idea. I’ve kept that interest in physiology and am really looking forward to developing this through my master’s degree, and hopefully moving into the exercise science side of the industry.”
Advice for other students
Hannah – who had the highest grade point average of her cohort and graduated from AUT in mid-2023 – has some great advice for other students who are only at the start of their university journey.
“Having friends who were more dedicated than me, understood concepts better than me and had a better work ethic than me kicked me into another gear because I’m competitive. I wanted to keep up with them, and that ultimately helped me to just be better. Note taking was also a really useful skill. Learn how to take notes that suit your learning style and then save them all somewhere you can’t delete them. You’ll come to need them for exams and assignments.”
Her other piece of advice is to make connections.
“The lecturers always have time to chat, even if they’re really busy, and they’re so knowledgeable. Make use of them as a resource, and build strong relationships with the teaching staff and your peers. Once you’re in the industry you’ll be surprised how many AUT grads you run into, and positive relationships are absolutely key in this sector.”
