Hospitality Business Magazine

Ten recent graduates from a range of AUT degree programmes have been hand-picked by companies based in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles and will earn their ‘first stripes’ transitioning into the workforce through global internships.

They will receive scholarships and take up residence from January 2015 in US businesses at the forefront of industries that align with their area of study, including Saatchi & Saatchi and Westpac Americas in New York, Paramount Recording Studios in Los Angeles and Booktrack in San Francisco.

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Each scholarship includes an industry placement of up to 12 weeks, return travel to the destination city, a 12-month US visa, travel and health insurance, plus an allowance for basic living costs.

Kimberley Mar
Bachelor of Business: Double Major in Marketing & Business Design
Interning at AvroKO Hospitality Group, New York

Kim will put her business design skills into practice having secured a 12 week placement at AvroKO Hospitality Group, a global leader in hospitality through integration of concept, design, strategy and operations. Kim’s passion for creative and practical design and her experience in digital marketing gained through her co-op placement at Bettie Matheson while studying at AUT will be through her role at AvroKO.

Amy Pollok
Bachelor of Business & Communications conjoint: Majors in Marketing & Advertising Creativity
Interning at Booktrack @ Kiwi Landing Pad, San Francisco

Amy’s double major of Marketing and Advertising Creativity has allowed her to develop a strong and varied skill set which will help at her placement at Booktrack, a global technology company based at Kiwi Landing Pad in San Francisco which adds synchronised soundtracks to books. While at AUT, Amy developed a love for advertising through internships at DDB and Saatchi & Saatchi. She also was able to go on student exchange to San Diego which ignited her passion to live and work overseas.

Orlando Werffeli
Bachelor of Business: Major in Marketing
Interning at Booktrack @ Kiwi Landing Pad, San Francisco

Orlando will also intern at Booktrack at the heart of ‘new tech’, SoMa (south of Market Street) in San Francisco. Since his graduation mid-year, Orlando has developed his passion and skill in social media and digital marketing working at Contagion, a digital agency based in Auckland. Orlando’s desire to travel and engage with people from different cultural backgrounds began with a volunteering trip to several countries in North Africa in 2012. This exciting opportunity in the US will allow him to not only immerse himself in a new culture but to further develop his passion for social media, and surfing, not online but along the California coastline!

Shaan Mehta
Bachelor of Communication Studies: Major in Digital Media
Interning at Paramount Recording Studios, LA

Shaan will take up an internship at Paramount Recording Studios in LA in January, having just completed his Bachelor of Communications. Shaan has been producing his own music for over six years, as well as working with several artists both locally and internationally. He is looking forward to learning more about audio engineering and immersing himself in the music industry in Los Angeles while at Paramount. Shaan was able to go on student exchange to the University of Missouri in his second year at AUT.

Talima Fruean
Bachelor of Sport and Recreation: Major in Health & Physical Education
Interning at Play Rugby USA, NY

Talima will take up an internship at Play Rugby USA in January, a community development organisation empowering youth to health, wellbeing and academic success through the game of rugby. Talima’s passion for helping youth has recently seen her mentoring students in literacy and numeracy and running sport programmes at Mayfield Primary School in Otara, South Auckland. Coming from a strong rugby family and with a love of coaching and playing rugby, Talima will put her skills in health and physical education developed through her Bachelor of Sport and Recreation into action in New York. Talima hopes that her experience at Play Rugby USA will help her learn more skills around pedagogy and coaching styles to bring back to share with the youth in New Zealand.

Greer Rasmussen
Bachelor of Business: Major in Human Resource Management/Accounting
Interning at PUBLIC Restaurant, New York

Greer is about to take up a position at New York foodie hot spot PUBLIC Restaurant, putting the theory from her Bachelor of Business and the practical hospitality experience gained from working at Auckland’s popular MEXICO group of restaurants truly to the test. While at AUT, Greer completed an exchange to Copenhagen which has developed her passion for learning more about the cultural experience of food. Greer is most looking forward to growing her event management skills at PUBLIC, being involved from the design and planning stages through to the actual event.

Nick Hayes
Master of Design: Major in Product Design
Interning at Red Antler, NY

Nick completed his Masters of Design in 2013 and has been involved with AUT this year as one of two students working in collaboration with the Auckland District Health Board at the Design for Health and Wellbeing Lab. Nick recently won a Gold for Best Interactive Design at the New Zealand Best Awards for design. Nick’s creative problem-solving skills, developed through his studies at AUT and his work on the DHW Lab, will be challenged during his internship at Red Antler, a New York branding & design consultancy that specialises in start-ups and new ventures.

Felicia Irene
Bachelor of Design: Major in Graphic Design
Interning at Saatchi & Saatchi, New York

Felicia’s experience working in various advertising design studios around Auckland, including pHd3 and Frontend Design, and her contribution on the committee of this year’s Uncoated Graphic Design exhibition have impressed Saatchi & Saatchi New York, where she will complete a 12 week internship from January 2015. The opportunities and mentoring that Felicia will receive while at Saatchi & Saatchi has her incredibly excited and will help fast-track her goal of becoming a Creative Director.

Dana O’Grady
Bachelor of Business: Major in Finance, minor in International Business
Interning at Zolfo Cooper, NY

Dana is about to take up a placement at Zolfo Cooper in New York. While at AUT, Dana’s co-op placement at The Private Office, a boutique and independent wealth management firm, allowed her to undertake a research project, which has become a full-time job until she leaves for the US. The dream of living and working in New York led Dana to apply for the AUT interNZ Scholarship, and her dream will come true from early January 2015.

Patrick Preston
Bachelor of Business: Major in Accounting/Management
Interning at Westpac NY

Patrick will take up a placement at Westpac Amercias in the heart of Manhattan’s financial district from January. Patrick worked as a police constable for three years after leaving school, but his future ambitions changed leading him to apply to AUT to study Business, major in Accounting. His study in AUT’s Co-operative Education course led Patrick to a job at Vodafone as an Account Support Representative, which has given him a wealth of practical experience. Patrick intends to throw himself into the working life and culture in the US, and travel as much as he can while he is abroad.