Graduating students and those stepping into jobs will meet people from across Aotearoa, te Moananui-a-Kiwa, and the world.
I have also been thinking about the role the column itself serves.
At a time when journalism and media are under scrutiny and misinformation spreads quickly and erodes public trust, it feels meaningful to write for a locally owned and independent newspaper.
The Otago Daily Times has grounded community roots, a commitment to telling the stories of this place, and to making space for different perspectives, including student voices.
The way we carry Otago with us in all ways, in conversation and character, invariably shapes how the university is perceived.
It is easy, especially socially, to fall back into stereotypes when talking about Otago: O Week, drinking culture, casual jokes, and assumptions about students.
Though these narratives only tell part of the story.
The reality is more complex. The culture and relationships we build, marked by generosity, creativity, and care, leave a lasting impact on both students and the city itself.
Suppose you know how to access these opportunities, and can confront the whakamā, and summon the courage to attend that first intimidating meeting, or sign the registration form.
In that case, the impact can extend far beyond the classroom or flat.
A lot of disconnect and harm can occur when students feel as though they are simply passing through, visiting this place rather than belonging to it.
Much of the isolation comes when meaningful connection is overlooked, and when engagement with the broader city or university community feels incidental.
There are levels of immaturity and freedom that inevitably come when thousands of 18-year-olds get relatively unrestricted access to the world for the first time.
If the main impact of a student’s time spent here occurred in isolated corners of student life — often around drinking, outside the structures of the university, let alone the Dunedin community — it seems a pity.
Perhaps no single solution to this problem exists, but continuing to invest resources and energy in fostering connections through societies, volunteering, and making space for student voices could help leave students not only with memories but also with a sense of belonging.
While the Saturday nights spent partying can be formative, they are not the only spaces where growth, learning or connection can happen. I have hoped to give voice to students whose time here is shaped just as much by tramping trips, evenings spent with their clubs, or the small rituals that make Ōtepoti feel like their home.
Each student carries a version of Otago into the world — and in that, there is a responsibility. I hope that students leave not just with memories of their degree, but a sense that when they return to Dunedin, they still have a place to belong, people to support them, and the confidence that they have contributed to a community.
I recall a semester one group assignment from earlier this year in Te Tiriti politics, where our research was practically beneficial to the historical archives of Te Rūnanga o Ōtakou. A small example of how engagement and contribution during student life can have a lasting impact beyond the classroom, it also added a more profound sense of responsibility and purpose to the project itself.
Though students’ time here may be relatively fleeting, the impact of student actions need not be.
Soon, summer internships and jobs will begin, pulling students into offices, labs, hospitals, chemists, stores and council buildings across the motu.
Though exam time makes the student experience feel quite separate from the ‘‘real world’’, the learning made at Otago, inside and outside the classroom, carries over into these spaces.
Next year is my final year at university, and so the cycle repeats itself. As one chapter closes for this year’s graduates, another opens for new students, and the rhythm of student life continues.
In that spirit, it feels fitting to close my fourth-year chapter with my final column.
Ngā mihi nui to those who have supported and encouraged me; the feedback and contributions have made this journey richer and more meaningful.
Mai i te kōpae ki te urupa, tātou ako tonu ai.
From the cradle to the grave, we are forever learning.
Kind regards,
Grace
• Dunedin resident Grace Togneri is a fourth-year law student.
