Meet the people who fell in love with Plymouth after moving across the globe

Plymouth is home to international students who attend the university, and three of them have spoken about how much they love the city.

To mark International Students' Day which was on November 17, three Plymouth students have shared their experiences. Meet Dindu, Sumalka and Shukurullo.

Dindu Okechukwu is using his time as Students’ Union President to ensure everyone feels included at univeristy and in the wider city. Having finished school in his native Nigeria, Dindu was contemplating what to do next.

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A love of helping others and a keenness to study by the sea drew him to a Psychology degree at the University of Plymouth. Fast forward two years, he has become President of the University’s Students’ Union, which has only strengthened his passion to advocate for others.

Dindu said: “I’m the eldest of four children, and my family has always been rooted in service and community. I knew I wanted to help others, and – while I knew uni would be for me – I thought Psychology might be a good avenue to explore.

“I chose Plymouth because it looked beautiful by the sea, and I saw the course was highly rated. After encouragement from my family, as I was the first to go to uni, I started my course at the University of Plymouth International College (UPIC) becoming a student ambassador and part of council too.

“I had to push out of my comfort zone battling imposter syndrome, wondering if I was good enough to be here. But when I started the degree at the University itself, I joined two Students’ Union societies, then became a Psychology course rep. I then realised how much I loved advocating for people.”

In his second year of study, Dindu saw the annual call out for Students’ Union Sabbatical Officers – people elected from the student body to represent students at the highest level of University operations. Despite self-doubt, he decided to run for president.

“I had to campaign to be elected and, with cultural differences, you don’t know how you’ll be perceived. But getting to speak to students first-hand made me realise that life gives us different perspectives. What we have to do is work with them.”

Since being elected this year, Dindu’s focus centres on four key student issues: cost of living support, building communities and belonging, academic representation, and mental health and wellbeing. Working with his fellow Sabbatical Officers, Dindu explains what he’s hoping to achieve.

“One of our fastest growing societies is the book club – which is a big move away from what people might think. It’s not all about nighttime culture now, Covid had a huge impact on people’s everyday lives, and we find people are more introverted and in need of support to make friends and feel like they fit in.

“Plymouth is a diverse city, at least because of the diversity of the incredible people at the Uni. In my role now and in the future, I want everyone to realise that all voices matter, and everyone is welcome here.”

Sumalka Mendis is passionate about her city and ensuring that everyone, from local to international, can benefit from education within it. With a degree in marketing, you’d expect Sumalka to be good at selling something – but first-hand experience makes her description of Plymouth all the more compelling.

“Plymouth is an amazing city. You can walk everywhere in the city centre, it’s got a friendly feel, there’s a real sense of community, it’s big enough to be vibrant but small enough to care.

"I’ve got friends elsewhere in the UK who don’t have anything like the amazing scenery and atmosphere we have here. Honestly, I feel so lucky.”

Sharing her journey and love of Plymouth, the native Sri Lankan has converted her personal Instagram profile to showcase and support the city’s local independent businesses – and @lankangirlinplymouth currently has more than 10,000 followers.

Upon achieving a first class honours in her undergraduate Marketing degree at NSBM Sri Lanka – a University of Plymouth transnational education (TNE) partner – Sumalka was awarded a scholarship to complete her masters in Brand and Design Management at the University of Plymouth in 2017.

With ambitions of obtaining a PhD, she looked at options at various institutions worldwide, but decided on Plymouth as it had everything she wanted. Just last week, she passed her PhD viva in Business and Management – making her the first NSBM student to obtain a Plymouth PhD.

Sumalka said: “With both of my degrees accredited by Plymouth, a few people suggested that I get my doctorate elsewhere to show diversity. But the academics and the support they give here is second to none.

"I’m working with experts in their field, I’ve loved it and am really proud. A lot of people also told me that I need to move out of Plymouth if I want to find a job or better prospect, but I took on the challenge and managed to find employment and amazing opportunities in this beautiful city.

"We are often blinded by other people's opinions and we consider them to be the status quo, but if we actually do our own research and look around, we could all be surprised by what we find.”

Alongside a full-time PhD, Sumalka embarked on teacher training, and began a role as a full-time lecturer at one of the University’s partner colleges.

“It’s a lot to take on, but I’m so passionate about each job I have. I feel like education is the one thing that no one can steal from you, it matters. We need to keep building it up.”

In addition to her own academic journey, Sumalka is enthusiastic about supporting others through theirs. Previous to her current lecturing role, she worked for the University’s Careers Service and had been a student ambassador in the University’s Marketing team, and she still continues to volunteer as a befriender for new Sri Lankan students in the city.

She also joined the committee of the network Student Action for Refugees (STAR), helping to run its cultural kitchen, and has taken part in international dinners run by Global Plymouth, which take place each month and are open to anyone in the local community. Her dedication saw her win the Student Positive Impact Award run by JP Morgan in 2021.

She continued: “Education isn’t just about textbooks and exams. Doing things that help others and don’t give yourself any obvious benefit are hugely valuable. I’ve learned so much about so many people, it opens your mind.

“In life, especially with the internet at our fingertips, we are subjected to lots of opinions. Education helps you to filter through them and form your own.

“To anyone graduating from University of Plymouth, remember you are not just getting a degree certificate. You are getting a bit of this beautiful city – the nature, the sea and a community that believes in each other.

"Wherever in the world you will be you are a part of a wider alumni community that is spread across the world through all our TNE partners. So when you graduate from the University, you carry a bit of the warmth of Plymouth with you and that's the beauty of our city.

“I’m proud of the opportunities I’ve had and especially that I’ve been able to do them here. I really believe Plymouth is a hidden gem. The city and the people within it are amazing, and I hope it becomes my forever home.”

Shukurullo Nurmatov outlines how moving from Uzbekistan to Britain’s Ocean City transformed him from an introverted student into a University representative across Europe. Fathers often give wise life advice, but Shukurullo credits his dad, the person he always looked up to, with giving some of the bravest.

“Study in a city where you won’t find anyone else from your country. Keep your values, but open your mind to learn from, and become part of, the local community.”

Coming from double landlocked Uzbekistan in Central Asia, the shy teenager wanted to study International Business in a historical city by the sea and was fascinated by UK culture. While nervous, he took his father’s advice and threw himself into life at the University of Plymouth.

Now a graduate aged 24, he is representing his beloved University at major European fairs and supporting global agents to help our prospective international students.

“It’s an incredible community here, both within and outside the University,” he said. “It’s near the ocean, busy without being overcrowded, affordable, diverse, and tolerant.

"It was first mentioned to me by an agent at school back home and I decided to take my father’s advice to go somewhere with no other Uzbeks to have no choice but to network and overcome my shyness. The opportunities I’ve had have been incredible.”

Shukurullo first came to University of Plymouth International College (UPIC) in 2019, before starting his BA (Hons) International Business in 2020. Like most people during the Covid-19 pandemic, he found his travel and social opportunities were limited in his first year, so he became determined to do a placement year.

“I got to know the Careers Service well, and they suggested a couple of different routes. I ended up securing a position in the Netherlands as a commercial assistant and learned so much ranging from marketing and data analysis. Moreover, I am grateful for my manager, Martina Costa, who taught me the importance of work/life balance.”

Coming back to the UK, he promised himself that his final year will be ‘the best year so far’. After exploring Europe for a year and managing global projects, networking became a strong theme in Shukurullo’s own journey.

Recognising the value of helping others to build genuine connections, he joined the Careers Service team as an Information Assistant, where he established a strong presence through sharing career advice on LinkedIn and connecting with University departments. It was there he met the University’s Plymouth Global Office Manager, Alana Hunter – who enabled his scholarship.

“In my culture, when someone helps you, you help them in return, so I wanted to support Alana and the team. The roles I ended up doing also enabled me to support the university with international relations through hosting campus tours for foreign delegations and applicants’ families. I also interviewed ten inspirational students, sharing their stories to attract global applicants.”

Shukurullo joined the HELLO project as a student ambassador, helping international students settle in and adapt to life and studies in the UK – all within the 20-hour limit set by the government for international students to take up paid employment. He also continued in his academic studies, graduating with First Class honours.

“The beauty of university is that it helps you figure out what you don’t want to do, as well as what you do. The course was varied and interesting, and I gained information about lots of different sectors.”

Following graduation in 2023, he applied for and took up the role of International Assistant and is supporting students and applicants every day. Currently, he has a personal mentoring programme for 100 scholarship awardees, where he offers 1:1 consultancy to help his students to stay connected with both the city and the prospects within it.

“In any job, there are things you must do and there are things you can do. I envision a world where we focus on our commonalities rather than differences to come together to tackle shared challenges. To contribute to this vision, I have created a community of high-achieving international students, where I mentor them on their academic and career journey.

"Plymouth is a fantastic place – you can keep your values, but be open minded and you can learn from everyone you meet. What’s more, my father came to visit and loves the fact that you can just ‘breathe’ here. It really is a place where you have so many opportunities that can be your gateway to the world and I’m so grateful to my parents in supporting me and sacrificing for me all those years on my way to finding mine.”