Recognition for Bachelor of Nursing graduate

^{(Image above - Photo credit: RNZ / Tess Brunton)}

Bachelor of Nursing graduate Samson Aruwa was honoured with a certificate of appreciation by Police Commissioner Richard Chambers this week, for his role in the aftermath of a deadly stairwell pile-up at a Dunedin student party in 2019.

Samson (then aged 20) worked with others to carry University of Otago student Sophia Crestani away from a five-to-six people-deep pile when the stairwell collapsed, after managing to free himself while wearing a moonboot.

He also helped free at least 30 others at the student party.  CPR was carried out on Sophia Crestani outside but she could not be revived.

Samson told RNZ "it was an honour to receive the award but also a sense of melancholy."

He decided to train as a nurse through Otago Polytechnic after the incident, and while he told RNZ "his career choice was more about following in the footsteps of his mother, the events of that night gave him more confidence."

* Read RNZ's full story on Samson Aruwa's award and experience here >>