News

What made QRC the right choice for you?

• I chose to study Hospitality Management at QRC, as it was an opportunity after high school that made the most sense to me. So many other tertiary options just weren’t that appealing at the time. A QRC Future Student Advisor came to our school. She talked about all the opportunities QRC could offer for me and my future. After I applied, I was offered a dual scholarship thanks to Six Star Charitable Trust and Accor Hotels Queenstown, who helped cover most of my study fees for my second year. And since I also got fees-free study for my first year, I had a great head start financially and was able to earn while I learned by getting first-hand experience in the industry.

Where did you do your internship, what was your role there, and what was something you learnt on internship?

• I completed my internship with Hotel St Moritz and Sofitel Queenstown. Although Covid was a very uncertain time for the industry with mostly domestic tourism and significant loss of revenue, I was still able to learn and put what I had learnt in theory into practice whilst being mentored by highly experienced individuals. My internship really taught me to make the most of all work-related opportunities and to push through daily challenges with a positive and professional attitude.

Tell us about your journey post QRC – Where have you worked, travelled, studied? What have you been doing since QRC?

• Life after QRC has been absolutely incredible. I am living a life many could only dream of. I have never been happier, or more excited about my future than ever before. I am motivated to work harder, talk to more people, and extend my professional network even more than I have done. In 2022, I travelled to The United States to work in one of the oldest and largest 5-star luxury resorts, The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. Here I learned the highest level of luxury service and how to deliver upon high guest expectations. When I returned back to New Zealand, I was offered an incredible opportunity to level up my skills even more at Amisfield, amongst one of the best restaurants in Australasia. There I was a member of the restaurant service team in a very unique and high-end service environment. At the beginning of 2024, I was offered an opportunity to join the front office team at The Rees Hotel in Queenstown as a concierge. Here I learned about front office operations, tailoring itineraries to guest needs and requests, and offering local advice and recommendations to visitors from across the globe. I was also offered the additional responsibility of arranging and executing private transfers and specialist wine tours.

How did QRC prepare you for the challenges of your career?

• QRC has prepared me to succeed by offering an education which has put me right in the middle of the action. As New Zealand’s adventure capital, Queenstown offers industry-specific learning and career opportunities in tourism and hospitality everywhere you look. With the papers you study at QRC such as —business theory, entrepreneurship, accounting, law, economics, hotel operations, and practical papers such as food and beverage service, bartending, and culinary practice— you have the foundations that allow you to choose whatever internship works best for you and what you can see your future-self doing more of.

What advice would you give current QRC students?

• If I could offer advice to any current QRC student, I would say to work hard and take every opportunity that comes your way. You never know where you’re going to end up in the future or who you might get the opportunity to talk to. Thinking ahead of the game gives you an advantage as a prospective employee, and those who don’t have the experience or knowledge that relates specifically to the industry you want to be in, will be disadvantaged compared to you.

Any exciting plans for the future?

• My future could never look brighter. In a week, I will be moving to Sydney, Australia where I will be starting the next chapter of my personal life and future career. I will be commencing studies at ICMS in May of this year, where I will be doing the fast-tracked Bachelor of Business & Marketing Degree, and hoping to secure a corporate role in either Sydney or elsewhere within Australia.

Study Adventure Tourism Management or Hospitality Management.