A chance encounter changed my life

Siddha Maloo (MSc International Business 2017) channels her passion for the University into inspiring a new generation to follow in her footsteps. 

A chance encounter on holiday proved a turning point in Siddha Maloo’s life. “I fell into conversation with someone at the top of the Eiffel Tower,” she says. “He'd graduated from Leeds and I was so impressed by what he said about the University.” 

From the beautiful city of Udaipur in Rajasthan – considered by many to be India's most romantic destination – Siddha had initially studied closer to home. “I learned accountancy, statistics and law, but I always wanted to study abroad.” 

Back in her Parisian hotel room, she looked up the University online: “I was struck straight away by how Leeds caters for the needs of international students.” She soon decided to apply. 

Siddha thrived on her course. Her high grades led her to be selected as an International Student Ambassador, with funding to spend a term at Copenhagen Business School. But the social and cultural aspects of her time at Leeds had an equally profound impact. “Leeds gave me my personality,” she says. “Mixing with students from so many countries, cooking and eating with them and sharing our cultures was such an enriching experience. It gave us networking and communication skills, of course, but it also broadened our horizons.” 

She began to write poetry: “I was inspired by the beauty of the city, the daffodils, the view from my window in St Marks Flats, the walk between there and the business school. Leeds is such a wonderful city, with such history and culture.” 
 
Siddha soaked up these fresh influences: “I’ve read that when encountering a new culture people exhibit one of three different kinds of behaviour. They continue following their own way of life, become wholly immersed in the local culture, or adopt a balance between the two – trying new things but not forgetting their own cultural roots. I always wanted to be in the third category.” 

Soon after graduating, Siddha began sharing her story to encourage others to benefit from the same rich experiences. “I gave presentations to prospective students in India with information and photographs from my own time at the University. I help them to visualise how their life will be at Leeds.” 

After a spell teaching and researching as an Assistant Professor in an Indian University, she moved to Toronto to work for a stockbroking company. But through mentoring on Leeds’s volunteering programme she continues to inspire others to follow her path: “I try to get across how students can make the most of their time in a foreign land.” She has also returned to campus to give talks to current business school students. The University website shares her blogs, articles and videos offering tips on how international students can excel in their studies. 

Siddha credits Leeds with equipping her for the latest phase of her life. “I didn’t have friends or relatives in Canada. Without Leeds I would never have had the courage to move here. 

“I would never be the person I have become if I hadn’t come to Leeds.”