Tripti Ligal is studying a Graduate Diploma in Business at EIT.
A Nepalese student is hoping to use the knowledge she is gaining from her EIT graduate diploma to eventually start her own business back home.
The support she has received from EIT and other students has also helped her get over her homesickness.
Tripti Ligal, 30, who has a Bachelor in Business Studies and a Master’s in Business Studies from Nepal, enrolled in EIT’s Graduate Diploma in Business on the Hawke’s Bay campus in July. She is also hoping to study further for a Master’s Degree after she completes her programme next year, before she returning home.
Before arriving here, Tripti had worked as an accountant and a teacher in Nepal. She says that in the beginning of her time in New Zealand she was quite lonely. Her husband works as a housekeeping supervisor at a hotel. However, she is really missing her mother Anila Shrestha Ligal, who she has not been apart from for her whole life.
“I have never been far from her so I miss her very much. It was hard to leave her. She was a single mother who worked hard to raise me. I owe her a lot.”
“I was lonely when I first arrived, but the support I received from EIT helped. I was also soon able to make friends and I now think I am able to survive in New Zealand.”
Living in the EIT Student Village in Taradale has also helped her feel at home with other international students.
Tripti, who has played table tennis for Nepal, says that she decided to apply to come to EIT after researching options to do a graduate diploma overseas.
“Many people were choosing Australia, but I heard that EIT was a very good institution for the postgraduate masters and diploma programmes. When I arrived here, I realised that I had made the right decision because there was peace and harmony.”
“I’m finding the programme very good. I have three subjects – designing and improving operations, social media marketing and supply chain. The lecturers are very good and very helpful.”
The next step for Tripti when she finishes her programme mid-next year is to complete her second master’s degree – the Master of Logistics and Supply Chain Management – at EIT.
After that, the aim is to return to her homeland of Nepal and get involved in business. Her maternal uncle owns a furniture business that she may get involved in, but she is also interested in starting an online business in jewellery.
As for now, Tripti has no hesitation in recommending EIT as a place to study.
“I am enjoying myself here and everyone has been very helpful and kind. I would have no hesitation in recommending EIT for any programme.”
Dr Surej P John, Senior Lecturer- Marketing in the School of Business, says: “I am incredibly proud of Tripti Ligal’s remarkable growth and achievements. At the beginning of the semester, Tripti was a reserved and shy student, but through consistent effort and determination—especially during her many in-class activities in the Social Media Marketing course, she transformed into a confident and ambitious young woman.”
“Today, Tripti exemplifies the qualities we strive to foster in our students—dedication, creativity, and a passion for excellence. I am truly humbled by the kind words she has shared about my guidance. It has been a privilege to support her academic journey, and I am confident she will continue to achieve great success in all her future endeavours.”