Scholarship student meets Prime Minister

Meeting Prime Minister John Key has been a highlight of Indian student Shashank Ghai’s time in New Zealand.Shashank, who is enrolled in a Master of Sport and Leisure Studies at the University of Waikato, is one of 10 students awarded a New Zealand India Sports Scholarship.

It’s a Government scholarship, so it’s prestigious, and it will be a big boost to my CV. I think scholarships also change the way you see yourself – they give you more self-confidence.

Shashank has already published many articles and books on his sports and rehabilitation research, and has been appointed to teach at the university.

He prepared for his time in this country by learning New Zealand Sign Language – his eighth language – and says he soon felt at home here.

“I don’t feel like I’m away from home because people have been so welcoming,” he says.

“Kiwis often say this is a small country. It is small in terms of population but big in terms of the heart.”

Shashank Ghai, Masters student