From Mumbai to Waikato, one brave decision changed everything

In her graduation speech, Alpha Joy shares what it actually means to leave home, family, culture, and certainty behind, and start your international student life in a new country. Starting her journey in Mumbai, Alpha came to the University of Waikato to study Bachelor of Business in New Zealand. What followed wasn’t just a degree, but a transformation: • From self-doubt to leadership • From quiet uncertainty to community involvement • From a foreign student to International Student Ambassador, supporting others on the same path “The University of Waikato became my anchor. Not because of grades or degrees, but because I found people. Real kindness. A community that showed up for me when I needed it most. I went from feeling lost to feeling like I finally found where I fit.” --- Alpha Joy https://www.waikato.ac.nz/study/student-success-stories/alpha-joy/ #InternationalStudents #UniversityOfWaikato #StudyNZ #StudentLife #BelongingMatters