Joyus Ngutu’s internship at NCC allows her to gain some hands-on work experience.

EIT student Joyus Ngutu is currently doing an exciting internship at Napier City Council as part of her Computing Systems degree. Joyus is involved with a project that aims to improve the booking system of public venues. “I really enjoy it, everyone is very supportive and we are well looked after,” she says.

Of Pukapukan (Cook Island) descent, Joyus and her parents migrated to New Zealand when Joyus was three months old. In 2009 the family settled in Hawke’s Bay. Following her graduation from Flaxmere College, Joyus went to Auckland to study health science. It was about a year into the degree when she felt that she wasn’t really passionate about it and decided to explore other opportunities. 

She moved back to Hawke’s Bay, enrolled at EIT and gained a level 3 and a level 4 business qualification that lead to a job at the Ministry of Social Development in Hastings.

Yet Joyus felt unsatisfied and decided to come back to EIT and branch out into computing. “The rapid advancement of technology in today’s society is what has influenced me into pursuing a degree or career in IT.”

Joyus said that she surprised herself throughout her studies by quickly coming to grips with complex topics and doing well in her assignments despite juggling many different things at once. In her free time, she likes to socialise, go out, attend church, and she is also an active member of the Pukapukan community in Hawke’s Bay.

Although Joyus is a determined woman, she said that studying was quite challenging at times. In her second degree year she went through a “downhill-period” but her friends and family helped her to push through. Now, in her last year, it’s just about persevering and finishing her final exams.

“After graduation I will look at my job options but since computing professionals are in rising demand I’m optimistic about the future,” Joyus says.

“Although it would be great to see more women and Pasifika people in the IT field, I would highly encourage anyone who is wanting to study to find out what they are most passionate about, set realistic goals, and commit to reaching them to achieve anything they want.”