Former student Nancy Lu returns to Macleans College
Posted on June 25, 2024
Former student and National Party List Member of Parliament, Nancy Lu (Mansfield House 2001 - 2005), returned to Macleans College recently to share with the Chinese community her experience in tertiary education and her career development.
Born in China, Nancy moved to New Zealand with her parents when she was nine years old. After graduating from Macleans College, Nancy completed a Bachelor of Commerce in International Business and Accounting as a double major at The University of Auckland. Working for Ernst & Young and PwC didn’t stop Nancy from finding time to work as a volunteer with the National Party. This volunteer experience helped her realise a personal interest in the public services.
In May 2023, Nancy graduated with a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School of Government in Massachusetts, USA. In the same year, Nancy became the highest ranked National Party list candidate not elected in the general election.
During her visit to Macleans College, Nancy spoke about her understanding of how to pursue dreams and successes, by giving examples of part-time jobs she undertook while studying. She explained how she learnt the Chinese language with the help of her parents and her studies at Harvard. Other advice she imparted to the students was the importance of becoming independent and self-sufficient, learning new skills and knowledge, grabbing all opportunities and never giving up.
As a parent to two young children, Nancy also shared her experiences in parenting and how to support the youth of today in helping them find their passion and encouraging them to get involved in making decisions and problem solving.
Nancy was delighted to catch up with her former Economics teacher, and now Principal, Mr Steven Hargreaves. She credits the values taught by Macleans College in contributing to her success.
Nancy’s visit was hugely popular, with around 300 Chinese parents and students in attendance.
