When Tiago Feitoza graduated with a Master of Applied Management from SIT in 2024, it was the fulfilment of a dream which had started years earlier in Brazil.
From San Paulo state, Tiago grew up in a rural environment and started his career in engineering after finishing tertiary training in 2017.
But Tiago and his wife had dreams of spreading their wings. “We wanted to live a different kind of life,” he explained. “My wife is into nature and the outdoors,” and they thought New Zealand looked promising, with wide open spaces and much less people than Brazil’s population of 250 million. “New Zealand was where we wanted to go.”
Prior to coming, they completed two years studying English in Ireland. “[It] gave us another perspective,” said Tiago, but it didn’t change their minds about NZ. After working another year in Brazil, Tiago enrolled in SIT’s Master of Applied Management (MAM), and they moved to NZ in 2022.
Tiago chose the MAM because he wanted to progress into management positions within his field, and “it was a clear path towards that goal”. But it wasn’t all plain sailing. When his wife asked him if he was ready to do a master’s, Tiago said “I’ll be fine, easy-peasy. I was wrong.” He was unaccustomed to NZ’s education system. “In Brazil we were spoon-fed - possibly a cultural difference. In New Zealand, I needed to be more independent. You’re encouraged to work it out yourself.”
“The tutor is there to guide, but it was my job to go and look for what I wanted to study. It was a very different experience for me and the first time I really studied on my own.”
This is appropriate for those wanting to achieve management positions. “It’s much more grown-up for an adult in a management position; things won’t be handed out to you, and that’s how it is.”
Completing his thesis on how unwanted goods affect charity shop businesses, was eye-opening for Tiago. “I was 100% stretched out of my comfort zone and grew as a person.”
The MAM research component improved his critical thinking, from doing the research, the thesis, peer-reviewed papers, and all that searching for the right information. “It’s an important skill to have in engineering. It’s good to question and know if something is true or correct. It’s in my brain now. I apply it to every area of my life.”
“How I now handle information and seek credible sources makes me better at my job.”
The most impactful skill Tiago learned at SIT was how to work with people on a team who were from different cultures. “I’m now the manager of a multicultural team … The positive is bringing different perspectives to solve problems. They might have the answer because of their different background.”
Tiago’s course highlights included Marketing Tutor, Hemal - “What a tutor! He is a star!” Backing the students 100% and invested in their success, Hemal was passionate about marketing, very engaged with students, and shared his own experiences. And secondly, the SIT library was excellent. “I studied there frequently. Having a library cat is very cool.”
Without a doubt, writing the thesis was the toughest part of Tiago’s master’s programme. With his engineering background - not much reading or writing, and a lot of math/calculations/physics - “When you’re facing 20,000 words in a language you do not speak fully, that was intense, it was really hard.” The day before the deadline, Tiago started at 9:00 am and finished at 9:00 am the next day. “There was no stopping; I did not leave my room for 24 hours.”
A fonder memory is of friendships made at SIT. “It was the nicest thing… they weren’t just classmates, we became friends, real friends. We would be at each other’s houses at the weekend. I met people from all over the world. It was magical.” Tiago and his wife also went tiki touring on the SIT $2 bus trips provided for students. “We went skiing at the Remarkables with a bus full of people. It was so much fun and cheap … We went to Dunedin also.”
He recalled an especially memorable first Christmas at the home of a kiwi friend, where there were Brazilians, Argentinians and Scots sharing the day together. “It was wonderful. That has stayed with me.” It was comforting to be with a group of people experiencing the same things - all studying a lot and homesick – “that was excellent”.
Not long before completing his master’s, Tiago secured a position with the Southland company, Yunca Group. As their Engineering Production Manager Tiago is responsible for a team of 25. When he found out he had the position, “I was really happy the first minute, then I was really terrified,” due to the responsibility and size of the role. “It’s not an easy job; it’s a job you need to be the right fit for.” However, he feels blessed to be there, and sees good things ahead. “From here it’s just up.”
Having set a goal of completing his MAM in two years, Tiago achieved this with two weeks to spare, plus a good position and career path at Yunca. “The master’s helped me in getting the job, plus my background; the two paired together and increased my credentials a lot.”
Tiago’s wife is now pursuing her career goals through SIT; currently undertaking intensive English and planning a study pathway into Nursing. “I’m very happy and proud of her. She gave up her dreams to support me; now it’s my turn to support her.”
Invercargill is home and Tiago isn’t planning on changing that anytime soon. “When I chose SIT and Invercargill, I got it right the first try … I feel sometimes I was very lucky … with how things have worked out for us…”