Catching up with Meleena: From Disney World to Tour Guiding!
Meleena at Disney World Florida!
It was only a few months ago that we chatted to Meleena, the student who had studied our Business of Tourism Academy at high school, then went on to become an ITC graduate and work at Disney World!
Now, she’s back in New Zealand, where she quickly landed a coveted role as a tour guide at Waipu Caves Farm.
We caught up with her to learn more about her journey!
Tell us about the biggest things you’ve learnt or gained in the last 12 months. What are some key memorable moments since graduating from ITC?
Getting out in the tourism industry, working in Disney World and now my Tour Guiding job has taught me how to work with all different types of people. I have gained the ability to perform my best no matter the situation and make meaningful connections with customers and work colleagues. ITC has given me confidence in my work abilities and helped me develop strong skills to carry forward. A big key memory since graduating and travelling for work has been all the likeminded people I have met, being surrounded by supportive colleagues has helped me thrive and grow as a person.
What the new role that have you secured?
I am now a Tour Guide at Waipu Caves Farm Park. After coming back to New Zealand I was lucky they had an opening position. This is such a big step for me coming back from my cultural exchange and securing a job within tourism again.
What does a typical day look like for you and some of the highlights of your new role?
I am thoroughly enjoying my new role, no day looks the same and it’s a smaller close group of us working together. We all help out with various jobs, which include feeding goats, mowing lawns, tour guiding, landscaping, office jobs and running events. The key advantage is I get to be outside all day. We have people from all over the world travelling and stopping in, being able to make a connection and getting to know these travellers is great. As well as giving them the knowledge on the tour, I’m constantly taking away from the experience as well. Building these connections and learning more about the tourists is a special and personal thing I get to explore more and more every day.
How do you feel your studies with ITC helped prepare you for opportunities in the tourism industry in this next role?
This new Tour Guiding role involves having the ability to clearly get across information. ITC spent time going over the importance of communication going over things such as: speech clarity, voice projection, and cultural awareness. These are all day to day things I have to keep in mind when guiding visitors no matter their background. First coming into this new environment I felt like I had the skills I needed for this role, confidence from ITC’s education has helped me so much for pursuing a career in tourism. I really wouldn’t have been able to do it without my ITC tutors.
How do you think the Disney Cultural Exchange Program has helped you in this new journey?
In Disney everything is fast paced, you learn so quickly and develop an agile approach to everything. So taking this home and now into the Tour Guiding role, picking up on all the information and training that was needed was something I could take on. I now just feel like I have so much experience with it being only a 6 month exchange I learnt so much in that time. It is definitely a program everyone should consider, you really change and form into a new skilled worker.
What advice would you give others thinking about studying with ITC?
You have nothing to lose by taking this step. Your tutors are going to teach you so much about the industry but also about yourself. It’s a close group of students who all share the same passion and it’s refreshing coming into class every day. The course with ITC is jam packed with knowledge and things you wouldn’t have even known about the industry. This is a really good first step and it WILL build your confidence for your future career.
Looking ahead again, what are your future career goals and aspirations within the tourism, hospitality, or aviation industry?
This Tour Guiding role is a great first step, going overseas again is something I’m thinking about. Once again tourism has such a variety of jobs, there really are endless opportunities and that’s why I’ve picked this career, I really can do anything.
From High School Student to Tour Guide: The ITC Effect!
Meleena first encountered ITC through her high school.
From there it was studying with us, to heading to Disney World on a work experience program, to coming back to New Zealand to become a tour guide!That’s the kind of journey we love to see – and one we see often with our students.
If you’d like to take your first step towards an exciting career in tourism, ITC can help! Contact us here to learn more about our study options.
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