Hospitality scholarship with an international flavour

On July 9, students at Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec) were on campus for orientation in preparation for study in the second trimester. One student, Shona Brider was also orientating herself with a new country, having just flown in from the Cook Islands the evening prior.

A graduate from the Cook Island Hospitality Tourism Training Centre, where WelTec delivers training in the areas of hospitality and tourism, Shona is the recipient of the very first WelTec scholarship for students at the Centre in Rarotonga. With Distinction from her Certificate in Food and Beverage Service, achieving the highest grades in her class, Shona was an obvious choice for a scholarship.

With her tuition fees paid for, Shona will continue her studies with WelTec’s Bachelor of Hospitality Management. Her scholarship has delighted her former tutors, “Shona is a model student. I would expect nothing less than a grade of distinction from her. You couldn’t ask for a better student to give a scholarship to. She has a fantastic attitude and is likely to continue to achieve with her degree level studies” said Food and Beverage Service Tutor, Gregg Walker.
Shona is equally excited about her achievement. “I found out about the scholarship at the graduation ceremony earlier this year and I was shocked and excited, it was a lot of mixed emotions all at once. I have really enjoyed my studies to date and I’m just so excited to be able to continue my education. Hospitality is so important to the Cook Islands, without the tourism industry the economy would really suffer.”

“I’m looking forward to experiencing New Zealand. Wellington is a whole new city, a new environment to explore. It hasn’t even really dawned on me that I’ve now got a qualification that is recognised throughout the world that I can travel with. I’d like to be able to gain some experience here in New Zealand, but I would like to be able to take what I have learnt back to Raratonga and make a difference in some way.”

ENDS

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