Bella Qian

"I was born and raised in Auckland but my family is originally from Shanghai, China. Growing up, I had a lot of difficulty embracing and finding belonging in these two cultures.

"My continuous attempts to try and fit in led me to become tired, lost, and surrounded by broken pieces of my identity that were 'not Asian enough', 'too Asian', or 'too westernised'.

"Sitting in the classes I was passionate about, the stereotypes and prejudices I held towards my cultures and others melted away. I listened to lecturers talk passionately about their identity. I learnt about the effects of colonisation, racism and what ethnicity truly meant.

"I met like-minded people who shared similar experiences and understood how I felt.

"I am currently the secretary and one of the co-founders of the University's chess club. The club is running very well and I have gained a lot of useful teamwork, communication, leadership, and event planning skills from this.

"This is one of the many things I like about studying here. Students have many opportunities to explore their interests, express themselves, and to find like-minded peers.

"I genuinely believe that the Faculty of Arts provides something for everyone and it encourages you to be curious by providing a supportive learning environment.

"Studying Psychology has helped me understand more about myself, allowing me to grow tremendously in my time here. I hope to continue down this path, helping others grow and reach their potential. I would love to do postgraduate study in Psychology and ultimately end up in the field, as either a researcher, lecturer or psychologist.

"Although I came to university for an education, I have gotten far more than that, and I truly hope that this will be the case for anyone and everyone coming into university too."

Bella has now gone on to study a Master of Arts in Psychology.