Hetaswi Patel

Bachelor of Construction

India

Hetaswi Patel was able to move seamlessly from her study into her construction internship thanks to the hands-on nature of her programme.

Heta has just completed a Bachelor of Construction with us and was one of our top-performing students.

She moved to New Zealand from Gujarat, India after finishing high school in 2019. 

“I always wanted to explore a different country to pursue my further studies. I had a few in my mind and New Zealand appealed to me the most because of its culture, spectacular landscapes, friendly people, internationally accredited qualifications, and matchless quality of life.”

The factors that attracted her to construction included the diversity of day-to-day tasks, the opportunity to gain a large variety of skills, the intellectual challenge, and the competitive salary.

“I realised the vast scale of the construction industry in the country along with its career opportunities.”

Heta started her Bachelor of Construction just as New Zealand went into Covid-19 lockdown, so she began the programme online.  

“The immense support I got from my tutors, student support team, and registry and admission team was beyond expectations. People were friendly, always in touch, and made sure that I was doing fine during these hard times.”

She says the best part of her study journey was her excellent teachers.

“They have always been patient, helpful, and friendly and made me feel at ease.”

“They always pushed me to move further, encouraged me to explore my capabilities, provided me with tremendous assistance with my assignments, and maintained constant good communication.”

During the last year of her studies, Heta came across a position as an Intern Quantity Surveyor at one of the very highly regarded tiling companies in Auckland.

“I was very nervous before starting this role and entering the corporate world, but as I started, I realised how much my learning and assignments from my courses aligned with the real-world industry,” she says.

Heta was able to reflect on her learning on the job and progress very well with her duties.

“The things I learned at OPAIC from technical knowledge to soft skill knowledge such as using certain online software, were the same as those used in the industry, making it easy for me to apply them to my internship position.”

Another highlight of OPAIC was studying alongside people of diverse cultures, she says. This allowed her to practice communicating with people with all sorts of backgrounds and appreciate the country's multicultural society.

“I have made some incredible international pals that I will remember forever,” she says.

“For current and future students, my advice is to just enjoy your education, learn as much as possible from your teachers, who have plenty to give, and establish lifelong friends at OPAIC.”

“Finally, I'd like to thank the OPAIC family for providing me with such a beautiful experience throughout my student career.”