Harshmeen Kaur has been in New Zealand for two years, but already she has aspirations to become the country’s prime minister. Harshmeen dreams big. A statement on her blog, says “Dreams come true if you believe in them.” Her dreams began when she stepped on a plane in Chandigarh, the capital city of Punjab in northern India to travel to Hamilton, a city one tenth of the size. She was armed with a Bachelor of Science degree, $NZ1200 and the prognostication of her sister who lives in Thames. “She said, ‘Come to the Waikato. You will do well here’.”
That has proved true. The 26-year-old, who says she already knows half of Hamilton, completed her graduate diploma in Business Studies at Wintec while working at the international student centre. She loved the course, did well, and says it opened her mind to possibilities. “Suddenly, I was excited by the prospect of business. My science degree (she majored in botany, zoology and chemistry) was pushed to the side. I saw this was a place of opportunities ready to be taken.”
She says many people advised her to go to a bigger city in New Zealand. “But I believe if you want to flourish you should come to a smaller place. Waikato has everything I need. It is beautiful; wonderful cafes and cultural activities; it is not polluted. The people are kind and welcoming. In Auckland I hear of racist taunts of people being told to ‘go home’. I have never experienced that here.”
Her buoyancy and ‘can-do’ attitude have made people notice her. At Wintec she featured in a graduation video. On graduation, she was offered three jobs. She currently works as a marketing and sales manager for a Hamilton company, but also assists other international students coming to the city. Her blog posted on the Study in New Zealand page attracted thousands of ‘likes’.
She came from a background where struggle was part of everyday life. Her mother died six years ago and she helped raise her younger sister while working a night shift in an international call centre in Chandigarh, and studying during the day. “When you get to good times, you appreciate them more.”
She wants to help other international students experience the friendliness and respect shown to new immigrants. Most of all she wants them to fulfil their own dreams.
www.wintec.ac.nz
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