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Be Inspired: ‘ITC opened the door to my future career’

Posted on 11/06/2019 by

ITC graduate Michelle Coutts is about to start a new job at Disney World in Florida.

Welcome to ‘Be Inspired’. Every few months, we will give you a ‘behind-the-scenes’ glimpse into the journey of an inspirational ITC student and share what it took for them to achieve their goals. Everyone climbs their own Everest, and these students hope to inspire others by sharing the truth of their journey to the summit.

Sometimes, a small step can change your life.

For Michelle Coutts, that small (yet significant) step was choosing to study at the International Travel College of New Zealand (ITC).

“I didn’t know it when I enrolled, but I had just opened the door into my future career – making it the best decision I ever made,” says Michelle, who recently graduated and secured a job at Disney World in Florida.

Michelle says as soon as she started studying at ITC, opportunities for work experience started popping up everywhere.

“Opportunities have been thrown at me from every which way to give me work experience in the industry,” she explains.

“I went from feeling like I was the new kid at school – nervous and quiet – to becoming more open-minded, energetic, sociable, and friendly.”

Michelle’s newfound confidence is sure to serve her well when she arrives at Disney World in August – an international career opportunity she’s beyond excited to begin.

“This is an incredible opportunity to enhance my work experience in customer service and worldly cultures from people around the world.”

How it all began

As Michelle mentioned above, she hasn’t always been full of energy and confidence. She says ITC helped bring her out of her shell and realise her full potential.

“If you ask any of my tutors, they would probably say that I was really quiet and polite. It took me a month or so to break out of myself, to be able to put my hand up in class and answer questions,” Michelle explains.

She adds that the tutors helped her feel confident that there was no such thing as a wrong question.

“The atmosphere was always like a family – really encouraging.”

As time went on, Michelle began to inspire her fellow students and was even nominated as Class Rep.

“One day I was like ‘when did I become this person?’! It was super weird but I am proud of my progress as a person today.”

Tips for future students

Michelle’s biggest piece of advice for people thinking about studying at ITC is to remember you’re not alone in feeling nervous – everyone is in the same boat.

“Everyone is as nervous as you are. Just be your friendly self and break the ‘ice’ to get to know your classmates. It may be intimidating learning everyone’s names at first but it will get easier every day. YOU’VE GOT THIS!”

She also says it’s hard to go wrong when you’re surrounded by supportive tutors.

“ITC treats you like family from the moment you step into the campus. The tutors and staff are as passionate about this subject as you are, and have many years of industry experience to back up their teaching. They are genuine and diligent about your progress throughout the course. They will always support you every step of the way, even when you graduate.”

If all else fails and you’re still feeling uncertain, Michelle has one final piece of advice.

“Sometimes you just have to follow your heart to truly know what you want to do,” she says, referring to her own leap of faith to choose a career in travel and tourism.

As Walt Disney once said, “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

Are you inspired by Michelle’s journey? You too can climb your own Everest and create career opportunities you never thought were possible. Get in touch today to learn more about how ITC can support your airline, travel and tourism dreams.

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