Otago tauira Nicole Meyer, left, and Shaz Harvey received Prime Minister’s Scholarships towards their Otago Global Student Exchanges and will be spending semester 1 in Hong Kong and China respectively.
As Otago students begin their migration back to campus, two tauira are off on a different kind of adventure.
Nicole Meyer and Shaz Harvey will spend semester 1 on an Otago Global Student Exchange, with Nicole already in Hong Kong and Shaz set to go to China early next month.
Fourth-year student Nicole, who is completing a Bachelor of Laws with Honours and a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Global Studies with Chinese, is now studying Law and Chinese at the University of Hong Kong.
Otago has 100-plus agreements with overseas universities in 35 countries. Students can decide to go for one semester or two, and can even choose to go with a friend.
For Nicole, who was born and raised in Hong Kong till she was 13, deciding where to go on exchange was a no brainer.
“When I realised Hong Kong was an option, I knew I had to go there. All my childhood memories are tied to this place, so it’s a bit of a full-circle moment walking around the city now as a young adult and studying at university.”
Nicole is staying with her grandmother during her exchange, which has been a great way to reconnect, she says.
“I don't see much of my grandmother usually, and she isn't really on social media, so it’s been hard keeping in touch. I’ve only seen her in person twice since moving to New Zealand.”
Fourth-year student Nicole Meyer lived in Hong Kong till she was 13 and is enjoying the opportunity to make new memories now as part of her exchange at the University of Hong Kong.
Nicole is looking forward to spending time with her wider whānau, “especially for Chinese New Year”, but anticipates there’ll be a few challenges here and there.
“Like orienting myself around campus – I keep getting lost – and having to commute to uni rather than walk down Great King Street to a lecture 10 minutes before it starts.
“I also know that studying law at HKU is pretty tough, so I’m preparing myself for a bit of an intense study season ahead. Hopefully as the semester continues, I’ll learn to balance mahi with spending time with friends and whānau and trying new experiences.”
About 250 Otago tauira take part in the Otago Global Student Exchange programme each year. To be eligible, students need to have completed a full semester at Otago and have received at least a B average, with some selected universities and courses requiring higher grades for admission. Students also need to be enrolled fulltime at Otago while on exchange and must plan to have a full course load at the host institution.
There’s no age limit for going on exchange, which is good news for Shaz who missed out on the chance to go when she was an Otago undergraduate due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.
Shaz, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (minor in Chinese) in 2022, is now doing a one-year Diploma for Graduates endorsed in Chinese at Otago. She will spend semester 1 at Tsinghua University in Beijing as part of the Chinese Modern Language Program.
“I wanted to go to Tsinghua University because I had heard such good things about it from my peers,” she says.
Going to China and being able to speak Mandarin have been life-long goals, she says.
“Although I was born in China, I was raised in Southland for most of my life. My parents are New Zealanders who adopted me as a baby and made the long-haul to China to collect me.”
“When you spend your entire life telling people where you come from, without knowing what it’s truly like to be there and speak the language, there’s a dissonance between who I am and who they expect me to be.”
Finding a balance has always been hard, especially growing up so rurally, she says.
“It’s why I found myself interested in everything from anime to K-pop, C-dramas and Asian cuisine. As a Chinese diaspora, my identity exists as an amalgamation of New Zealand and Chinese culture.”
Shaz Harvey, who graduated from Otago in 2022, has returned to do a one-year Diploma for Graduates endorsed in Chinese. She will spend semester 1 at Tsinghua University in Beijing as part of the Chinese Modern Language Program, which allows her to get to know more about the country she was adopted from as a baby.
Both students will be able to breathe a bit easier on their exchanges thanks to receiving Prime Minister’s Scholarships, which covers flights, visas, travel insurance, and living costs.
“This scholarship has made such an incredibly huge difference in my life,” Nicole says.
“Any stress and financial pressure of being able to go on exchange has just been lifted entirely from my shoulders. Now, I’m able to fully take in and enjoy this experience, and I, as well as my whānau, are just so incredibly thankful for that.”
For Shaz, the scholarship will help her achieve one of her “life goals of self-identity”.
“It’s a real privilege to be able to do it at this age too. I hope people can see that it truly is never too late to try something new.”
The scholarship application process was lengthy but interesting, she says.
“There’s a lot of focus on global citizenship and understanding what you want to get out of the exchange. I think setting goals is very important and having a compelling ‘why’ really helped.
“Additionally, it helps to have good references, which means being good to work with and creating good relationships with people around you. Having a sense of community and volunteering/leadership experience also helps bolster any opportunity.”
During her undergraduate studies, Shaz helped out with the Otago Filipino Students' Association (OFSA) and worked with Anxiety NZ as a volunteer on their helpline, while Nicole has been heavily involved with the Otago Asian Law Student Association (OALSA), serving as the Mentoring and Equity Officer on the executive team last year.
Nicole also attributes her scholarship success to the fact her application came from her heart.
“I tried to set my application apart by utilising a book I created for a global studies paper (GLBL302) that was about me and my whānau – essentially making my video, which was a component of the application, include a creative feature rather than me just speaking to the camera.
This is not Shaz or Nicole’s first brush with scholarship success. Shaz received Otago’s New Frontiers Entrance Scholarship in 2020, and Nicole received the New Frontiers Entrance Scholarship for Sustained Excellence in 2021. These scholarships were established by the University in 2015 to recognise academic excellence in secondary school study.
Students keen to go on exchange can apply for a range of scholarships, which can be used towards living and travel costs. Tauira in the programme pay domestic fees to Otago and are still eligible for Studylink. More information can be found on the Otago Global Exchange website and appointments can be booked with the Otago Global Exchange advisers to discuss plans.
For Nicole, the exchange isn’t just a new experience at a new university, it’s reconnecting with whānau and building new memories.
“I couldn’t have done it without all the special people in my life who got me here, and I must thank them the most for helping me make this dream come true.
“Hong Kong is a part of who I am, and to be given the opportunity to study and live here for a semester will truly leave a lasting impact on me for the rest of my life.”
While Shaz is excited to fully submerse herself in the country she hasn’t visited since 2003, she knows it won’t be all “fairies and rainbows”, she says.
“Although I’ve moved frequently, change is always scary and being in a new country with an entirely different language and culture will always be a challenge.
“But I’m excited to face it with an open mind and come back home with a fresh perspective and lots of memories under my belt.”
– Kōrero by Internal Communications Adviser, Laura Hewson
Considering an exchange?
Discover where in the world you can go on an Otago Global Student Exchange and how you can get yourself there.
Find out more