Kaleb Maihi

Final-year student, Bachelor of Business in International Business

He chose to study business because of the flexibility it provides and the potential opportunities it offers, says Kaleb Maihi who is in the final year of a Bachelor of Business in International Business and has already been offered a consulting role at KPMG when he graduates.

“With a business degree I believe there are so many sectors where you can add value and thus more opportunities to find a company or industry that you’re passionate about. It’s quite cool to notice how much I’ve grown since the beginning of my studies. I’m able to view so many things in a different light and can now examine certain elements of businesses and understand the manner in which they correlate with one another.”

When he first contemplated going to university, he was unsure of the processes involved or what to expect as a student, Kaleb admits.

“I sought out the advice of each of the universities in Auckland, hoping to get a better idea of what university entailed. AUT and its Student Hub really took care of me. The people I met were very informative and quite patient with all the questions that I had. They seemed to genuinely care. To me that was important, and I didn’t really get that same sense of care from the other universities.

“I’d definitely recommend AUT. In my time studying at AUT, I’ve not had to deal with a lot of issues that I’ve heard others have dealt with at other universities. It’s also been a great place for me to create friendships and discuss new ideas, and the teaching staff have also been pretty fantastic.”

An invaluable networking opportunity
One of the things Kaleb especially enjoyed during his time at AUT was participating in the Shadow a Leader programme, where students spend a day with an industry leader.

“I shadowed Gary Ivory, one of the partners for KPMG Auckland, as well as a couple of others within the organisation’s upper management. Being able to experience the work environment and have someone with so much knowledge provide insight was invaluable.

“This experience gave me so much – it allowed me to ask questions, network and provided a platform for me to improve upon and compare myself to. Due to the Shadow a Leader programme, I’ve also had a number of opportunities to further engage with KPMG, which has been pretty beneficial.”

He says he can’t stress enough how much he recommends this programme.

“It’s such a great way to experience what life is like after university and allows students to understand how their studies may integrate into to their future professions.”

Advice for other students
Expecting to graduate from AUT later this year, Kaleb has some great advice for other students.

“I think one of the biggest pieces of advice that was important to me was really utilising the teaching staff. They were always very enthusiastic to assist; no matter how far or close the assessment or test dates were.”

His other piece of advice is simple: don’t be afraid to ask a question.

“I think a lot of students, myself included, are often quite anxious to ask questions in class due to potential judgement. Write down the question and then email the lecturer later in private. Honestly, most of the time everyone is thinking about the same question.”