Best business students take a bow

The best College of Business students were recognised at the Albany campus’s Dean’s List presentation last night at the Bruce Mason Centre.

It was the first of three ceremonies to celebrate academic achievement over the past year, and presentations will also take place in Palmerston North and Wellington next month.

Across all three campuses, a total of 302 students made this year’s Dean’s List, and seven will be named Dean’s Scholars, meaning they achieved straight A+ grades for the year. Four of the seven Dean’s Scholars received their awards at the Albany ceremony.

Duc Toan Do, an international student from Vietnam, said his parents were extremely proud that he had been named a Dean’s Scholar in his first year at Massey.

“I think international students study particularly hard because there is such high expectations from family back home. My parents have given me an opportunity and it is up to me to pursue my dreams,” he said. “When I finish my accountancy and finance degree, I hope to stay in New Zealand to do post-graduate study at Massey.”

For Pouyan Nikrou, being named a 2012 Dean’s Scholar was the pinnacle of his academic achievement over the four years of his Bachelor of Business Studies degree, and marks his fourth year on the Dean’s List. Mr Nikrou, who emigrated from Iran with his family 12 years ago, is now working towards a Graduate Diploma in Science and Maths and hopes to pursue a career in quantitative finance or as an actuary.

Michael Pearson, who is studying for a Bachelor of Aviation Management through distance learning, said he was “surprised but thrilled” to be named a Dean’s Scholar. He is studying while working as a pilot for Air New Zealand and hopes the degree will open up additional career opportunities for him with the airline.

The fourth Albany Dean’s Scholar was first-year accounting student Ashney Govender. Ms Govender already has an engineering degree under her belt, but felt a business degree would help achieve her aim of becoming a project manager.

“There is so much competition out there, you really need to do something extra,” she says. “Hopefully, this award will also help.”

The Dean’s List was established five years ago to recognise excellence, and all undergraduate students who achieve an overall score of A-minus or better qualify for the accolade. Of the 302 students on the 2012 list, 22 are receiving their third award and six are receiving their fourth.

Professor Ted Zorn, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the College of Business, congratulated all this year’s Dean’s List students and encouraged them to build on their achievement.

“You already have the focus and determination to succeed, but to grow into a leader you need to take advantage of all the opportunities put in front of you,” he said. “Get an internship, stand for a leadership position, challenge yourself, and develop your leadership potential. This is just the start of a lifelong process.”

Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey told the Dean’s List students they were “high achieving, elite people” and he hoped they would use their talent in practical and meaningful ways.

“Get out there and make a real difference because there are real challenges that need to be solved,” he said. “Be the future leaders of this country, and make the world a better place.”

The other three Dean’s Scholars for 2012 are Robert Barr, Jessica Fraser, and Katrina Geerlofs. Dean’s List functions will take place in Manawatu on May 14 and Wellington on May 30.

Sponsors of the Albany awards ceremony were 3M, ACCA, ASB Bank, Auckland Property Investors Association, BDO, Buildcorp, CCH, Cengage Learning, CFA New Zealand, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, CPA Australia, Deloitte, FINSIA, McGraw Hill, New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants, Pearson, Property Institute of New Zealand, Perceptive, and Westpac.