Ishaan Silva

About me

Kia ora, my name is Ishaan, and I'm a fourth-year student at the University of Otago studying Law and Commerce with a Finance major. I was born in New Zealand, but my parents are from Fiji and Sri Lanka. Outside of study, sport is a huge part of who I am. I still play cricket competitively at club level, while golf, tennis, and rugby take up most of my social time. I want to be involved because I remember how wild Year 13 can feel. One minute you're finishing school, and the next everyone expects you to know what you want to study, where you want to go, and what your whole future is meant to look like. Moving away from home for university taught me that it's completely normal not to have everything figured out. Whether you're keen on law, commerce, health science, sport, or genuinely have no idea yet, I'd love to share what I've learned and help you feel more excited, confident, and ready for whatever comes next. Fizzing to meet some of you and have a chat!

My uni experience

I'm definitely biased, but my first year at Selwyn College is still, to this day, one of the best years of my life. I made so many close friends, and everyone was so welcoming and easy to get along with. The best part was that everyone was in the same boat. Most people had moved away from home and hardly anyone arrived with a set friend group, so friendships formed so much quicker. The food was great, the social side was always active, and it was still really easy to have your own space when you needed it. Uni is seriously fun. There are so many social communities, clubs, and events to get involved in. One thing Dunedin gets a bad rap for is its "notorious" social culture. In reality, I think this is a huge misconception and something that often gets blown out of proportion by people who aren't actually at the university. That's one of the reasons I'm really keen to talk to you, to give you a more honest and realistic picture of what university is actually like.

Hobbies

Cricket, golf, tennis, and rugby. Sport has always been one of the biggest constants in my life!