51萝莉

Born and raised in Hamilton, Aaminah is the third generation of women in her Kiwi-Indian family to graduate from the 51萝莉, so it holds a special place in her heart.

Aaminah is full of praise for the 51萝莉. 鈥淢y grandma studied here in the 80s, followed by my mum and my uncles. We鈥檝e all had a really good time here,鈥� she says.

鈥淲hat makes Waikato special is the staff and students. The university just has this atmosphere, this energy, where it鈥檚 all about collaboration, and you can create those connections with people in a really genuine way.鈥�

"The environment is very supportive, with smaller classes for more personalised teaching."

Supporting women in business

Aaminah looks back on her time as a student at Waikato with a sense of pride, particularly 2020, which reinforced the importance of community spirit.

When New Zealand鈥檚 first Covid-19 lockdown ended in June 2020 and students returned to campus, Aaminah decided it was the perfect time to launch a new student club, the , which quickly recruited around 100 members.

She was motivated by her own experience of entering the workforce on a summer internship. 鈥淚t made me think, wow, I wasn鈥檛 prepared for this, and I didn鈥檛 know how to navigate certain things. I wanted to create an association that would prepare women for the workplace by creating support networks and giving them access to female mentors,鈥� she explains.

鈥淟ockdown was a big push for me, because I finally had the time to set it up, so I couldn鈥檛 make excuses any more.鈥�

鈥淎ll the crazy stuff that happened in 2020 has shown how important community and relationships are, and also making connections with new people throughout your life. Don鈥檛 just stick to your own circle and what you already know, try to venture out and help other people where you can, because it brings perspective to your life, and we can all learn from each other.鈥�

Championing business with a social conscience

When it comes to the business world, Aaminah is adamant she wants to reinvent the rules.

鈥淲hen I think about my future, I want to take part in decisions that are going to make things better for people," she says.

"Fair trade is becoming more and more important to first world countries. I want to contribute to building a humanitarian supply chain; making sure that every step along the way is ethical and abides by fair trade, so that developing countries are treated fairly, workers are getting paid enough, and you鈥檙e sourcing everything responsibility. It鈥檚 about looking at the long-term investment, not just the short-term gains,鈥� she says.

Unifying against terrorism

In March 2019, Aaminah was elected as vice-president of the , just a few weeks before the Christchurch mosque shooting. The association sprang into action, organising a tribute event so that people could express their grief and show support for the Muslim community.

鈥淚t was just about coming together; we knew that as Muslim representatives on campus it was really important for us to do that and make our campus feel as safe as possible for those other Muslim students,鈥� she says. 鈥淭here was the feeling that you are a part of this community, and here are all these people showing up for you.鈥�

But she is concerned there is still a lack of understanding by some about Muslims living in New Zealand.

鈥淚 was born here, so I haven鈥檛 had the same struggles as someone who鈥檚 moved here from overseas. But I do know what it鈥檚 like to think, I know I鈥檓 a Kiwi but other people don鈥檛 think I am, so how do I bridge that gap of thinking you have to prove yourself?鈥�

Gaining a broader cultural perspective while studying

During her time at the 51萝莉, Aaminah has excelled academically.

She won a Prime Minister鈥檚 Scholarship to Asia in December 2018, which gave her the opportunity to complete a business internship at a recycled packaging company in Vietnam for two months and learn about outsourcing and international trade.

鈥淭hat was a really interesting experience in terms of a different cultural approach to business. Having good relationships is absolutely key in Vietnam; that trumps everything else. Whereas in other parts of the world, if you鈥檙e not the cheapest or you can鈥檛 meet the deadline, it鈥檚 a bit more cut-throat. That really opened my eyes up to how I would like to do business in the future.鈥�

In August 2019, Aaminah received a $3,000 scholarship from the 51萝莉鈥檚 Management School to attend the 10th University Scholars Leadership Symposium (USLS) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The event brought together 1,500 budding change-makers from around the world to discuss how they could use their leadership skills to make a positive impact on global humanitarian issues.

鈥淭hat was incredible, it was quite intense; you heard from people all over the world, including refugees, and a girl who started her own NGO at the age of 11.鈥�

Tips for making the most of uni life

Aaminah has learned that it鈥檚 all about creating your own opportunities.

鈥淕et involved and be a part of anything. Getting involved in things has created some of the best relationships and memories for me; and those are the things that you鈥檒l really remember when you leave university.鈥�