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! 

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Meet Jessica Fuiono – ITC graduate and one of AJ Hackett’s newest team members!

Jessica Fuiono discovered her love of adventure tourism through ITC – and now works for AJ Hackett!

At first, Jessica Fuiono didn’t know what she wanted to do with her career. She tried another study path elsewhere, but quickly realised it just didn’t feel right for her. That’s when she came to us at ITC, where we introduced her to some of the many pathways you can take in travel and tourism. 

All it took was jumping off the Auckland Harbour Bridge to discover her passion: adventure tourism. 

Jessica then did her work experience with AJ Hackett Auckland, but even though they loved her, they didn’t have a job for her at the time. ITC Employment Consultant Sarndra knew that Jessica was considering a move to Brisbane when an AJ Hackett job came up in Queenstown… so Sarndra sent the application link though anyway.

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Meet our new Student Services Team Member: Leilani Leith!

Leilani is recently back from a Disney Exchange overseas, and is now our newest Student Services team member!

Sometimes, new team members feel like they’re just meant to be part of the whanau.

That’s certainly the case with Leilani Leith, our newest Student Services team member. She joins us to replace Leilah Va, who has just left to begin her Disney Exchange. Making this hire even more impressive is the fact that Leilani has just returned from her Disney Exchange!

Of course we wanted to learn a little more about Leilani’s background, her travels, and her advice for anyone considering a career in tourism or aviation! (more…)

Catching up with Leandri: ITC Graduate Making a Splash in Exciting New Role!

Leandri is an ITC graduate living her dreams, and has recently moved back to New Zealand and started a great new role.

It’s been a year since we chatted to Leandri, an ITC graduate who was doing an International Working Holidays internship in Florida – and loving it.

At the time, she was one of just five team members (out of 1,300!) nominated for the coveted title of Associate of the Semester at Ocean Reef Club, which is a huge achievement on its own.

We couldn’t have been more excited that Leandri then went on to win the Associate of the Semester award!

But that’s just one of the exciting updates on Leandri’s journey so far as an ITC graduate, as she is now back in New Zealand and working in another great role. We chatted to her for more updates and news! 

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Meet Mercedes Laing, mother of two and Level 5 ITC student (with plans to become a pilot)!

Mercedes is a seriously impressive ITC student – with plans to become a pilot!

Mercedes Laing is the kind of student who is exciting to watch. She has returned to study after raising her children, is about to graduate from Level 4, and will be getting started on her Level 5 training in July.

But that’s not all – she has aspirations to fulfil her lifelong dream of becoming a pilot, and we couldn’t be more excited to be the first step on that journey, and to cheer her along the way!

For anyone who has ever thought about returning to study, or wondered if it was too late to make a career change, read on for some serious career inspiration!

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Meet Samantha Kingham: The ITC Grad Living the Dream at Disney World!

This ITC graduate is living her dream at Disney World!

For many young people starting out in the travel and tourism industry, the dream is to work at Disney World. Samantha Kingham didn’t just achieve that goal – she took it one step further by landing a coveted position on the Disney Entertainment and Performing team.

We of course had to learn more and share her story. So we chatted to Samantha and learned how what began with the feeling that Year 13 wasn’t for her, ultimately led her to the job of her dreams overseas!

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Meet Eva Bristow: One of ITC’s most inspiring graduates yet!

Eva Bristow was working full time and feeling the drive to make a change. Before long she was learning about ITC’s online options with Study From Home, hearing about the Fees Free Program, and enrolling!

The story from there has been something of a ‘Great Journey,’ so we of course had to catch Eva for an interview to hear all about it. (more…)

Meet Brooke Therond – The ITC Graduate working for Qantas!

Brooke Therond is working for Qantas after studying with ITC!

Brooke Therond knew that year 13 at high school wasn’t for her, but that didn’t mean she was giving up on study and learning. Instead, she enrolled with ITC, earned level 3 and level 4 qualifications, and is now working in “the best industry in the world”!

We chatted to Brooke to learn more about her incredible journey.

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From “no interest in tourism” to “loving the industry”: Graduate Mele’s incredible story!

Mele on her first day at work, representing “how every bit of effort, sweat, and even tears put into my ITC assessments has helped me grow so much.”

Mele Aitu is the perfect example of an ITC student who made the most of our qualifications, dedicated team, and endless travel and tourism opportunities.

She recently reached out to the team at ITC to give us an update about her career.

“Honestly, ITC has shaped me into the person I am today. I came into ITC completely clueless and had no interest in tourism at all. But look at me now, absolutely loving the industry! I truly thank the ITC community for their empathy, support, and for always pushing me to reach my full potential.”

Of course, we had to learn more, so we set up a quick interview!

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Meet the graduate who went from ‘no direction in life’ to inflight trainer and customer service manager!

Scarlett Westall is an ITC graduate with an impressive career journey – and she’s only 6 years in!

It’s one thing to catch up with students shortly after they’ve graduated, but we also love to catch up with graduates years later to see how their journey is going. And more often than not, they have incredible, inspiring tales to share!

That’s exactly the case with Scarlett Westall, a past ITC student who is six years into her career, and has already made huge progress. What’s even more impressive is that she had no idea what to do with her career after high school, then discovered us at ITC, and the rest is history.

We asked Scarlett to share some of her story with us, and here’s what she had to say!

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