Master of Applied Management
Lalina Dayal feels she really gained the maximum benefits from her time as a student through SIT2LRN Distance Learning. She graduated with a Master of Applied Management, and she was also the recipient of a Prime Minister’s scholarship which saw her travel to Chile for a month of learning and cultural experiences.
Originally from Tavua, Fiji, Lalina moved to New Zealand in 2010 with her husband and two sons to take up a teaching role at Cullinane College in Whanganui. She began her Master’s study in 2020 during lockdown, “I felt it was for me, I just had to give it a go,” Lalina said. Her thesis topic was “The impact of Covid-19 on teacher burn-out and the role of administrators – focus on secondary school teachers”.
What impressed Lalina as she completed her qualification, was the encouragement she received through SIT2LRN. “The support I got throughout was like wow! ... I could always talk to the course coordinators; IT support was 24/7 ... SIT goes above and beyond to look after their students.”
Lalina found out about the PM’s scholarship during her studies through the SIT website in 2022. “The ad came up .... it was for Latin America – Chile – learning Spanish language and culture. As a secondary school commerce teacher the opportunity to learn about macroeconomic policy for Latin America was too good to pass up. “This was of particular interest to me,” she says.
Lalina completed the Chile trip in January 2024, and describes everything as a highlight. “It’s a totally different country to explore... the cultural and historical visits were an eye-opener.” Students saw much of the capital, Santiago, visiting museums and viewing local art. The nearby coastal city of Valparaíso in particular was fascinating for Lalina with its significant outstanding universal values representing an extraordinary example of industrial-age heritage, and as such, is recognised as a UNESCO world heritage site.
They ventured further out as well, taking a trip to the foot of the Andes mountains. “It was really great, the scenery is beautiful, the lakes, mountains ... [there are] beautiful beaches.” Lalina also learned some basic Spanish language to help her engage with the locals. She noted that Chile had some difficult aspects to its history but had found learning about it very interesting, and it gave her insight into what she was seeing. As her specialist area is commerce she noted economy wise, Chile, in comparison to other South American economies, is one of the stronger, and a growing economy.
As a result of the trip, Lalina says she’s further developed intercultural competency and grown her network and connections overseas. “I’m thankful to the New Zealand government for providing the scholarship programme,” she adds.
Already in a middle management position, Lalina gained her Master’s to broaden her knowledge. “All of it has value,” she says, adding “we can’t avoid change so how can we navigate change? I feel well equipped, better equipped for this.”
Lalina has been blown away by how much she has achieved through SIT2LRN. She completed a Master’s through distance learning. “The Zero Fees Scheme makes it very affordable. SIT gives everyone the opportunity to study through this.” And to top it all off, she was awarded the PM’s scholarship, giving her unforgettable experiences during her month in Chile. Lalina couldn’t be happier.
“These opportunities hardly ever come, I wanted to make the most of it. I feel very, very fortunate. Without SIT – the motivation and support – I wouldn’t have completed this.”