Ria van Dyke was born on February 16, 1989, in the small town of Kawerau, in the center of the Eastern Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Before long, she moved with her parents to Christchurch, where her older sister and brother still live today. During her childhood, Ria spent a lot of her time travelling with her parents to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, the United States, and Australia. From a very young age, Ria developed an appreciation of the multifaceted world that we live.

When Ria was seven years old, her mother was approached by a young Thai woman they had come to know in New Zealand. This woman pleaded with her mother to adopt her unborn child, as she had conceived out of wedlock and keeping her child would have brought great shame on her family. She believed Ria’s mother would give the love and kindness to her child that she was unable to give. Ria’s mother could not refuse this gift of life, and opened their home to a new addition, Ria’s beautiful younger sister, Abigail, who is now 14.

With the opening of a new medical centre in Auckland, Ria and her family moved to their new family home in West Harbour, Auckland, unaware that her life journey was about to take an unexpected turn.  With little warning, Ria’s father left the country. Ria had only just turned ten, and did not realise that she would never see her father again.

Dealing with the abandonment of her father, Ria’s family also experienced great financial hardship, and struggled to afford even the day-to-day necessities. While it was an uphill battle from there, Ria remained quietly focused on her studies. She was determined to not allow this heartbreak to deter her from stepping forward in life.

At the age of 17, she raised money with her church to travel to China to help at a rehabilitation clinic for leprosy sufferers. It was there that Ria met a man whose story touched her heart and changed her life forever. His son had died in an accident and not long after, this man who owned a small farm in his village became crippled by leprosy. He was unable to continue his work and there was not enough money for himself or his wife to buy food. Not long after the death of his son, his wife committed suicide. A man who had lost everything - his son, his wife, and now slowly, his limbs - believed that his life was now over. He lay on his bed hopeless, and could not even feel the rats eat away at his lower limbs. The center was given word of his condition, and brought him in to be treated for leprosy. He was given prosthetic limbs, food and shelter and most of all, hope for his future. On Ria’s last day at the center, he asked if he could pray for her, and then sung the song, 'This little light of mine’.

It was through experiences such as this that Ria feels compelled to share her experiences with others to bring about a sense of responsibility and compassion in others. From a very young age, Ria has valued the importance of volunteering to not only make a personal, positive contribution to the lives of others, but because she believes volunteering also instils a sense of belonging to a community and fosters the spirit of generosity.

Now 21, Ria dreams of using her Honours degree to open a counselling clinic that will empower young women to develop a sense of identity, make positive and well-informed life choices, and to develop a healthy body image. When asked why this is important to her, Ria answered,

‘At the end of the day, it’s not only our education that matters, or the riches of our wealth or physical appearance, but whether we have uplifted those around us and shown love and kindness from one human being to another. My life is committed to this purpose.’