AUT Students Emotional Speech Hits Home

A Pasifika student from AUT has made an impassioned speech about overcoming adversity to graduate, with a video of the emotional moment now surpassing 75,000 views online.

Joshua Iosefo, a Bachelor of Communication Studies graduate of Samoan-Niuean descent from South Auckland, told the 2015 Design and Creative Technologies graduation ceremony that to walk across the stage and receive his degree was about "more than a piece of paper".

"We all have our own walk. We all come from different walks of life," he said.

"Whoever you are, wherever you've walked from, and wherever you're walking too, even if it's not walking, if it's hobbling or wheeling, I'm talking to you too."