‘Business and strategy excite and challenge me,’ says Perilla, for whom a Commerce degree was a natural choice.

‘I have always been interested in the business world and I knew that a Commerce degree would give me the best start to a career in this sector,’ she explains

She adds: ‘I was also motivated to undertake honours in Accounting as I believe that having a postgraduate degree opens even more doors and work opportunities. It provides me with greater skills and better equips me for entering the workforce.’

Sure enough, Perilla landed a job with Deloitte even before finishing her honours degree, and has now made the move to Auckland.

‘I'm working as an Audit Analyst in the Auckland office, doing company audits and accounting analysis as I work towards one of my goals of becoming a Chartered Accountant. I am also keen to travel with Deloitte by undertaking secondment opportunities.’ Perilla says her wider goal is work towards becoming a partner at the company.

Perilla chose to study at UC for several reasons, both academic and personal. ‘The College of Business and Economics has a great reputation and the degree includes an interesting combination of courses, ranging from business law to economics and accounting. The resources are world-class and easily accessible, and the lecturers are fun people who are enthusiastic and knowledgeable in their subjects.

‘The university is close to my home, and the campus has a lively atmosphere with a nice mix of historic buildings and new, modern structures.’

Looking back at her time at UC, Perilla says the one of the things that enriched her experience was ‘my fellow students coming from different backgrounds and having different interests… The social side of life at UC such as the events and activities held here are very entertaining.’

In her spare time, Perilla attends zumba and fighting classes at her gym, and also appears at fashion shows and events as a catwalk and hair model.

Although Perilla agrees that a Commerce degree ‘takes a lot of hard work and motivation’, she also believes that if you have a passion for the subject, ‘then it is not like work because you love what you are doing and will naturally strive to be the best.’

Proving her point, during her undergraduate studies, Perilla won a UC Award for Excellence in Accounting scholarship, was a Golden Key Honours Society recipient and received the Deloitte First Prize in Advanced Taxation.