Accounting student overcomes physical challenges to complete internship

Mia Liang, an accounting student at Wintec | Te Pūkenga from China, has just completed an internship, something she didn’t know would be possible due to being motor-impaired down the left side of her body. 

“I haven't worked before, and my condition (my left hand is not very flexible) makes finding an internship placement more of a challenge for me.

“Fortunately, my Wintec Industry Relationship Manager explained how the internship works and helped me through the process.”

Nima Riini, Wintec Industry Relationship Manager at Centre for Business and Enterprise, helped Mia find a placement at the Refugee Orientation Centre (ROC) Trust in Hamilton.

“In the first week I went to see my Supervisor, Sandya Rajapakshe [ROC accountant]. She was very kind and warm. She explained to me about ROC's history and completed the induction very well. ROC has a unique, warm culture. Every day the team also enthusiastically shares the delicious food they cooked at home.

[Mia (right) is photographed with Sandya.]

“In the few weeks of work, I gained a lot more accounting knowledge with programs such as Xero accounting systems, Salesforce CRM, as well as organising payment vouchers, reconciliations, support with the Annual report, GST related work and much more.

“Near the end of the internship, Nima met with Sandya and she commented on how I was a very committed, dedicated and diligent intern. I was thankful for the encouragement, which will be very helpful for my future studies.”

Mia said she was very grateful to ROC for helping her achieve her goals. 

“ROC is not only helping former refugees, but also guiding interns to gain valuable experience in a real-world situation,” she said.