Our Graduates

Haiyan Wang
Bachelor of Arts – English Language

When new migrant Haiyan Wang couldn’t get a decent job six months after arriving in New Zealand, she was ready to give up and go back to China. She had an engineering degree and had studied English in her homeland for 10 years, yet all she could find was menial work. Even going shopping was an ordeal as Haiyan struggled to understand Kiwi accents – and to be understood.

“I felt I had no future,” she says. “It was impossible to get a job – I didn’t even get to the interview stage.”

To improve her English, Haiyan enrolled with AUT’s School of Languages and quickly found herself on a new path. She was fast-tracked into the Bachelor of Arts in English Language (BAEL) where she excelled, finishing her first year with a Certificate in Translation Studies.

“I realise I have a future if I continue my study and get a higher degree. It makes me feel a lot more confident and optimistic.”

In addition to her degree, Haiyan will also pick up other qualifications during the three-year course including the Certificate in Language Teaching to Adults. What started off as a mission to improve her English has opened up a whole new world. Now Haiyan has a dream – to gain the qualifications to start her own English language school. Studying at AUT has turned her life around.

“I never thought it would happen – when I couldn’t get a job and couldn’t communicate, every day I wanted to go home to China. Now I have lots of plans, and I am very happy studying because I can do something I like and I can improve myself.”