Rakesh Patil

An A+ for one of his first papers gave Rakesh Patil the confidence to fly through a Bachelor in Information and Communications Technology degree.

But after four years in New Zealand, he has learnt even more. “There were also life lessons in moving from a traditional family life in India to a completely different culture.”

Rakesh arrived in New Zealand at the age of 17 and studied English before enrolling for the UCOL degree.

At first his parents paid his fees but he started part-time work and began to pay his own way. “My family were well off and I had never worked before. But Rakesh says the attitude of his UCOL lecturers made all the difference. “They would always say, ‘I know you can do it!’”

After spending time with his family in Mumbai, Rakesh will return to New Zealand for work, travel and postgraduate study.