Twins graduate as doctors together
Thu Nov 24 2016 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
Twins graduate as doctors together
24 November 2016
Gaining degrees in medicine tops off an incredible few years for twins Kristy and Nicole Toy, who hail from Tauranga.
Kristy is also a successful beauty pageant contestant and charity fundraiser, while Nicole is a national futsal (indoor football) champion.
They each received a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences graduation ceremonies on Friday, November 16.
The Tainui twins say studying together had its perks, particularly as they both juggled demanding schedules.
“Even though both of us are very competitive, we supported each other and swapped lecture notes all the time,” says Kristy, who was Miss Waikato 2015.
She went on to become a finalist in Miss World New Zealand in June, receiving the title of Miss NZ Tourism Queen International. She then represented New Zealand in China in September, winning the Best in Talent and Miss Tourism Queen Oceania categories.
In the lead-up to Miss World she raised an astounding $16,000 for Ronald McDonald house in a charity auction she spearheaded as part of the pageant.
Nicole is active in sports and as a member of the Northern Football Federation Women’s futsal team won the New Zealand national futsal title in 2015.
Having spent most of their lives side-by-side the pair will begin their careers apart - Kristy in the Plastic Surgery ward at Waikato Hospital and Nicole in General Medicine at Tauranga Hospital.
The duo say they were both inspired to study medicine after their grandmother was diagnosed with cancer.
“After seeing the effect of this on her and our family, I began to focus on the idea of studying cancer and working towards the development of further treatment or a cure. I am really excited to what the future may hold,” Kristy says.
The former Mount Maunganui College students both received the Hauora Maori Scholarship and the Waikato Tainui Scholarship to assist their studies. Nicole also received the University of Auckland Residential Excellence Award, 2015.
Danelle Clayton Communications Office
The University of Auckland
d.clayton@auckland.ac.nz