Introducing Aruna Crichton and Susanne Snow
The lovely Aruna (on her birthday) and Susanne, our two fantastic student services advisors based at the ITC City Campus.
Aruna and Susanne recently joined the ITC City Campus team as Student Services Advisors. They are the lovely smiling faces you’ll see at the reception desk or the bright voices you’ll hear on the phone. Both ITC graduates, they are perfectly placed to help current students. Learn more about their experience and travel dreams below.
Aruna
I have always been interested in travel and tourism and wanted to work in this exciting industry. I completed a short course with ITC while in high school and enjoyed it so much I decided to enrol in 2012!
I chose to study at ITC because it’s a friendly environment and I felt so welcome from the day I first stepped into the building. I enrolled on both the Level 3 and Level 4 courses and graduated from both. This was a really good experience for me as I got to learn new things about the industry and see places I’ve never been to. I enjoyed going on work experience with SkyJump as I got to see what it’s like to work as one of the frontline staff dealing with a lot of international tourists. I also had the opportunity to experience one of New Zealand’s major tourist destinations – Rotorua. This was a huge highlight for me.
After completing Level 3 and Level 4, I decided to pursue my studies and enrolled to do the Level 5 Diploma in Tourism and Travel Management. The Diploma was the most challenging thing I’ve ever had to study. I had to distance myself from my friends and social life and focus on getting my grades up. Graduating with the Diploma made everything so worth it at the end. I then took time to take a holiday and travelled to Australia and Samoa.
Returning to New Zealand, I got the opportunity to get an interview as a student services advisor which I was successful in. Working for ITC is an exciting step in life for me as it is my first full-time job and I am comfortable in an environment that I am familiar with. I love working with students and also helping them get to where they want to be in life.
Seeing students move forward in life is one of the best parts of this job! When an opportunity comes your way, don’t be afraid to take it. There is always room for improvement.
Susanne
Travel and tourism has always been something that I’ve found interesting. Being able to see the world, explore amazing places and meet new people were always things I wanted to do in life.
Before working at ITC, I was once a student in 2013. The first impression I got when I first stepped out of the elevator doors onto Level 4 was WOW! These people are very welcoming and friendly. I was given a tour of the college and amazed at all the awards they had received.
I chose to study at ITC because the environment and the people were great. The college was a perfect fit for what I wanted to study and I gained a lot of knowledge and opportunities that I never thought could happen to me.
There were always fun events happening and trips we got to go on as well, like the Amazing Race and careers expo where people from all over the industry come in and tell us about their jobs and what they do. This expo gave us a great insight into what the industry is all about.
Another highlight was the famil trip to Rotorua. We got to experience life as a tourist which included white water rafting. We were also able to climb the Auckland Harbour Bridge and see an amazing view of the city.
After graduating from ITC I started working at KFC Auckland International Airport to gain some customer service experience before stepping into the travel and tourism industry. Working there was actually a fun experience. I got to meet a lot of tourists from all over the world and learnt a lot about their countries and cultures. I also got to make friends with people that work in the airport and learnt more about their jobs and what they do. After working there for a year and a half, I got a call from ITC asking if I would like to apply for the Student Services Advisor role. This was an opportunity I couldn’t miss out on so I was quick to respond – and now here I am. The world is full of opportunities and I know ITC will get you there.
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