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After rescuing an injured rabbit from the streets of India, eight-year-old Anjali Guwalani knew she was destined to become a veterinarian. Twelve years later, Anjali’s studying a Bachelor of Veterinary Science at Massey’s Manawatū campus.

Anjali is one of 5,000 international students to obtain the Cohort 4 border class exception, which grants early access into the country under the New Zealand Government’s five-step border reopening plan.

As the only veterinary school in New Zealand, Massey’s Veterinary Science course consists of two parts: a pre-selection phase, followed by the professional phase.

Entry into the professional phase is by a selection process established by the Veterinary Student Selection Sub-Committee. This includes consideration of academic performance, non-academic performance, and relevant experience. As an international student, the nature of the pre-selection online semester was challenging for Anjali.

“We missed out on a lot of conventional university events, but Massey always made the offshore students feel included by listening to us and our needs. The professors were generous in spending their time on Zoom sessions, addressing our doubts. There was the fear of being forgotten and left out, but the onshore students were delighted to help and interact with the offshore students.”

ENZ India received a total of 33 applications, of which 24 were postgraduate and nine were undergraduate. Each scholarship offered a partial waiver of NZD$10,000 for the 2022/23 academic year.

The scholarship selection panel included teams from both India and New Zealand, to ensure a fair and transparent scoring process.

The panel was particularly impressed with the high-quality applications they received. The scoring points were close, especially at the undergraduate level where there was a tie, resulting in ENZ adding an extra scholarship in the undergraduate category.

Anjali discovered the Scholarship at the International Women’s Day summit hosted by Manapou ki te Ao, on 8 March. It was at this summit that the Women of the Future campaign was launched. Anjali was awarded the scholarship on 1 June.

“As a child, I realised that ambitious women with goals and a purpose were often perceived negatively by society, but I did not let that deter me from pursuing veterinary medicine. Receiving this scholarship made me remember that I can achieve my aspirations and more,” Anjali says.

“The Women of the Future campaign is a great initiative to support women in their education and help us realise our untapped potential to change the future (and be paid equally for it). I hope it inspires women to be bold and have no limitations in their chosen fields.”

With 12,364 kilometres separating India and New Zealand, the Aotearoa lifestyle is something Anjali is ready to get amongst from 1 July

“I’m excited to see and experience the indigenous Māori culture. It has become such an integrated part of daily life in New Zealand, and that is wonderful. During my first year, we studied a few basic terms and values in Māori and one that I felt a deep connection to was kaitiakitanga – a sense of guardianship for nature and the natural environment.”