Himan Patel has always been driven to win and achieve, so naturally, sport and fitness seemed to be the perfect place for him.
Despite his hard-working nature, Himan says he is always ready to have fun and have a laugh with his colleagues and students.
Himan, who was born and raised in Fiji, says there are many facets to his role. His community engagement role sees him liaising with a number of national sporting, fitness and recreational organisations.
Himan graduated from AUT with a Bachelor of Sport and Recreation and a Certificate in Personal Training. He had a close connection with past lecturers and would be invited to speak to students about his AUT experience and what careers were available. Himan was then appointed to a position in the School of Sport and Recreation.
“After working here for over 15 years I still love what I’m doing!” he says with a grin.
For Himan, the best thing about working at AUT is the people. There is a collective passion that Himan and his colleagues share about what they do. He says that the School of Sport and Recreation is like a family to him.
He says AUT is very student-centric and admires how much effort the university puts into helping students succeed.