This is the kind of story that doesn’t just make you smile. It uplifts.
At 73, Ravinder Singh Sahota from Mohali, India, reached a remarkable milestone, inspired by his love of learning, taking up a new course and completing Master of Management (Level 9) at ICL Graduate Business School in August 2024.
"Studying once again was a very positive experience for me, with great classmates and teachers," Sahota shared with The Indian Weekender.
The Master of Management at ICL equips students to analyse management practices and conduct research, developing the skills to lead and transform organisations in a changing environment.
It all began in 2019, when Sahota and his wife were visiting their children in New Zealand and, not long after, found themselves stranded due to COVID-19 restrictions.
For Sahota, the COVID-19 lockdown in New Zealand the following year was not a deterrent to learning something new.
With time on his hands and his visitor visa extended (which he later changed to an international student visa), he decided to make the most of his unexpected stay.
Photo: Ravinder Singh Sahota with his classmates/Supplied
“I was very interested in studying Māori culture, so I decided to pursue further studies,” Sahota shared with The Indian Weekender.
A naturally curious person, Sahota wanted to learn not just for himself but about the country his children were living in.
He also aimed to enhance his qualifications and eventually pursue a PhD. Initially, he said he approached the University of Auckland, only to be told that his postgraduate degree from India was not research-based, which lowered his chances of entering a PhD programme.
“I was told to first clear IELTS or complete a postgraduate degree in New Zealand,” Sahota said.
Following advice from his immigration adviser at Kwik Kiwi, Sahota said that he enrolled in a six-month preparatory program at ICL in 2023 and cleared the Pearson Test of English (PTE), a computer-based English proficiency test for study and immigration in New Zealand.
This opened the door for his admission into the 16-month Master
“The main challenge was not the studies or clearing the tests, it was using the laptop,” he quipped.
“I was slow in typing and was also learning how to write assignments on the side.”
All exams were completed as work assignments on a laptop, requiring practice and adaptation, yet Sahota embraced the challenge with determination.
Reflecting on his time as a student in New Zealand, Sahota fondly recalls his “college days,” laughing at memories of classmates insisting he was “their friend” rather than “uncle.”
“The classmates, my teachers, my professors, all were so
His goals, he explained, were twofold: “to gain management knowledge and to study Māori culture.”
He also completed a work paper on Māori management, successfully fulfilling both objectives.
Sahota, who previously served as Administrative Director at Sahibzada Ajit Singh Institute of Information Technology and Research in India, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the ICL management, the HOD, academic director, and teachers, who supported him whenever he faced hurdles.