Tia Bhana

Tia Bhana

Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia, Reimagining India Study Tour

Introduction

Hey! I’m Tia, and I’m studying psychology and criminology at Vic Uni in Wellington. I applied for Reimagining India to get a deeper understanding of my Indian heritage and to further my learning in cross-cultural and social psychology. 

I’m especially excited to meet non-profit organisations and learn how they support people.

I believe that NZ offers a limited and almost sheltered view of what hardships common citizens can face. So, experiencing India is a great opportunity to expand my worldview around various communities and how best to support them with the resources and norms they have in play. I think this program will further my transferable skills, which I can apply to my current volunteering, and give me an idea of what opportunities there are to study and interact with other cultures overseas.

I’ve found a lack of Indian content and knowledge within my uni courses, and I’m interested in learning more about stigmatised issues within Indian culture and society which relate to both psychology and criminology.

Overall, I’m super hyped for this experience, especially to do it with a group of cool people as well!

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  • She Heroes – Ep 9. Tea with Tia (ft Holly and Taryn)

    ** TRIGGER WARNING: this podcast discusses violent topics (including acid attacks and sexual violence). Welcome back to another episode 🙂 Today I’m joined by Holly Stokes and Taryn Farr to share some trip highlights and then discuss our experience visiting the Sheroes Cafe in Agra (the only cafe in the world run by acid attack…Continue…

  • In the moment with the usos – Ep 8. Tea with Tia (ft Daniel and Brandon)

    Hello! We’re up to episode 8?! Today I’m joined by Daniel O’Brien and Brandon Jost-Turei. We talk about some trip highlights and then share our views about living in the moment vs the challenges of wanting to document your experiences. We determined that it’s hard to get that balance, especially in this program where everything…Continue…