Passion for computers won in the end

Gisborne’s Larissa Miham now has a successful online business after her passion for technology led her to study for a Bachelor of Computing Systems at EIT. Picture supplied

A former Tolaga Bay Area School student graduates from EIT this week with a Bachelor of Computing Systems, defying the words of her grandmother who thought computers were a passing fad.

Larissa Miham, who now operates a successful online business, wanted to study information technology but was told to go to Waikato and study to be a teacher.

“I hated it and soon dropped out and became a hairdresser.”

But her love of technology niggled away at her and in 2006 she decided to study a diploma course, which had just become available at EIT.

To continue on to degree level at that time would have meant a move to Napier, which was out of the question for Larissa who was by then married with her first child.

Instead, she got a job as a computer technician for the Computers in Homes programme.

From there she progressed to a job at Matapuna Training Centre, teaching technology to young people.

“When we moved to Australia in 2011, I worked for Fujitsu as an engineer and was contracted to all the supermarkets and several retail stores throughout Western Australia, completing server and check-out equipment upgrades.”

As part of this, she learned how to build the self-serve checkout technology.

Returning to New Zealand, the couple decided they wanted to expand their family. While pregnant with their second child, Larissa decided to work from home as a freelance graphic and web designer.

When it became possible to finish a computing systems degree at EIT Tairawhiti in Gisborne, Larissa decided to enrol. A month after she started in February 2016, she discovered her third child was on the way.

But she had already mapped out a path and decided to continue, travelling to Gisborne from Tolaga Bay every day — even when she could barely walk due to her pregnancy.

“I had my baby four days after my end-of-year exam in 2016,” she said.

She spent the summer break at home with her little girls and was back to EIT by February for her final year. As part of her real life internship experience, she coded a web application allowing a local hairdressing salon to automate its booking and rebooking service.

After completing her finals Larissa saw an opportunity to work from home doing online business management, managing social media accounts, handling marketing and building websites. She creates and builds an online presence using SnapChat, Instagram and Facebook — building a following to drive traffic and boost sales.

She has been approached by two other business who have asked her to do the same for them.

“It’s working out really well,” she said.

She had always wanted to work from home and is now achieving that dream.

Larissa also has a strong passion for gaming and is active in both the PS4 and Xbox One communities, and is working on building a following for her late-night gaming streams on Twitch.

“It’s absolutely awesome to be graduating this week. I can’t wait,” she said.

Larissa will be one of more than 80 graduands who will march at noon on Friday from Heipipi Endeavour Park to EIT’s graduation ceremony at the War Memorial Theatre.