Graci Kim - French graduate
From a diplomatic career in Beijing, to cuddly toy entrepreneur, to New York Times bestselling author: Graci has done it all.
Key facts
Career: Author
Programme: Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
Subjects: Spanish; French
"My job is to get lost in my imagination and create wild new adventures before working with Disney to turn them into books. Then, I travel worldwide to share my stories and inspire a new generation of readers.
"The training I received through my Bachelor of Arts to be fearless of feedback from lecturers and peers and to use it to revise and improve my work has been a godsend as a writer. After all, writing a book, as they say, is all about rewriting.
“Before becoming an author, I was responsible for helping shape New Zealand’s policies around women’s and Indigenous economic empowerment in the Asia-Pacific region.
“Working on women’s and Indigenous economic empowerment issues was particularly rewarding because I felt I was contributing to the reintegration of historically marginalised communities into the economy. Some particular highlights included doing two years of full-time language training in Taipei, spending three years being posted at the NZ Embassy in Beijing, negotiating wine trade agreements with the World Wine Trade Group, and being part of the emergency response team after the Christchurch earthquakes.
“I decided I wanted to pursue a career that involved travel, new languages, new cultures, and ideally, something that still kept me grounded in New Zealand. Diplomacy seemed to tick all those boxes, which is how I decided to apply for a job at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
“In addition to the studies themselves, I think the interaction I had with the students and staff of the university and getting involved in clubs, was one of the most useful learnings I’ve taken into my working life. Professional life is all about social interactions and interpersonal relationships, and university life was a great microcosm for this. I also think working under pressure and managing my time under competing interests are two of the crucial life skills I learnt during my time studying at university.
I would encourage current students to get involved in all aspects of student life. Employers are looking for well-rounded and holistic students that enter the working sphere with strong interpersonal and people management skills, as well as life skills. The more diverse experiences you can amass during university will help to provide the case studies to draw on at future job interviews.
“If Arts subjects interest you, then pursue your interests, stay curious, get stuck in, and have fun. Technology, especially AI, is going to increasingly automate many of the jobs we currently do. As technology advances and integrates itself more firmly into our daily lives, human creativity will be the unique skillset that will not be able to be automated or replaced. Studying Arts, in my opinion, is a great way to build those skills that will be increasingly valuable in our society’s future."