One thing we need to remember in politics is the power of our words. I worked hard at school but I knew my parents couldn't afford to send me to university; my only way to get there was with a scholarship. So I spoke to one of my teachers about taking scholarships exams. He said he wasn't interested because they were for gifted students or kids who went to schools like Collegiate, and I was neither. His words hurt, but with my parents' support I went to Whanganui City College, where I finished as dux. With the help of scholarships, I completed a Bachelor of Arts and law degree, becoming the first person in my family to graduate. I still believed that with a law degree I could fix the farm road and Dad could live his dreams; sadly, he passed away before I finished. I was just 21 and my youngest sister was five.