Joshua Slattery

When Joshua Slattery rolled up to his first Bachelor of Arts class at the University of Waikato, he felt out of his depth.

“I lacked experience,” says the 22-year-old. “Everyone around me had been chasing their dream for years – I was new to it all, and this scared me.”

But instead of letting that fear hold him back, he took a step back to recognise the passion and talent of his peers, and that he could be like them, too.

“I used my classmates as inspiration and drive to get to where I needed to be.”

He knuckled down, completed his coursework, and went the extra mile outside of class to catch up.

This Monday he graduates with his arts degree, majoring in Screen and Media Studies with a minor in Media Design. His tutors describe him as a “leader within the creative sector who holds a high level of skills and knowledge”.

Josh’s interest in film, music and creative arts came from his time in drama class at St Paul’s Collegiate. He didn’t consider a career in the field until after he left high school.

“I took six months off to figure out what I wanted to do and that’s when I found Waikato University. I knew it would be a great opportunity that would teach me some really cool things that would help me out.”

Josh discovered his enjoyment for podcasting through the paper third-year paper, Human Interest Storytelling, MEDIA310, where he created a story about a former surf life-saving captain in Raglan.

He also enjoyed Interactive Media Design, MEDIA305, a paper where he created installation projects based around a subject and room.

“University has given me a wide range of skills, allowing me to go out into the world well prepared.”

His Screen and Media Studies lecturer, Dr Kyle Barrett, left a lasting impression, too.

“He was a phenomenal mentor who made classes fun and interesting.”

It didn’t come without its challenges, with Covid-19 impacting his first few semesters.

“I had a theatre paper that was two weeks away from showcase that I had to perform in my own bubble. So, coming back to the classroom was a huge relief. Face-to-face learning is incredibly important in the arts.”

Josh wants to use his degree to start his own photography and videography company.