Lana Annan

The choice of a career in Hospitality and Tourism came from my strong enjoyment of travel and I enjoy the face-to-face contact of meeting new people everyday, overseas and domestic.

Throughout secondary school, Queenstown Resort College was promoted highly. Therefore, I went down to Queenstown to do the 3-day taster course and fell in love with the idea of living and studying in Queenstown.

When applying for the SixStar Scholarship, in the back of my mind I knew i had to apply for it but also didn't think I would achieve the reward this had in place. When i received the email, I was speechless and yet amazed at the fact. This made me feel even more excited and determined to study the Hospitality Management Diploma at QRC.

QRC has a nine month Internship as part of their diploma and this really gives the experience and taste of Hospitality. I completed my nine months at Scenic Hotel Te Pania, located in Napier, New Zealand. I thoroughly enjoyed my entire internship therefore, after graduating at Queenstown Resort College I returned to Scenic. Since graduating, I have proceeded to grow in my role at Scenic. Throughout Internship I was a Receptionist, then once I graduated, I decided to return there and take my chances of growing as an employee. I was then promoted to Guest Services Supervisor and then shortly after again, promoted to Front Office Duty Manager. Personally, the only mindset I have after completing the diploma at QRC is to grow in my career. I believe QRC gave me what it takes to lead in Hospitality and Tourism and that is exactly what I want to do. I want to continue to climb the ladder as high as possible. I love being able to help others have an enjoyable holiday and stay away from home - it makes me happy. Also, being able to show off my hometown and hear what guests have to say about it, makes it even more enjoyable.

The Diploma through Queenstown Resort college challenged me personally and helped myself to see exactly what it takes to pursue a career in Tourism. Both the tutors and industry based people that QRC introduce the students to is amazing and it creates lifelong connections which I didn’t know I could have had today. The SixStar Scholarship goes eye-to-eye with the Hospitality Diploma. Having the Scholarship behind me encouraged myself to do my best, the harder I worked throughout my study, the further this would educate myself for my career.

For my career I am inspired to keep on growing and gain higher positions, one-by-one. For now, this is in the Hotel area of Hospitality and Tourism but I’m sure I will venture as I grow through my career.

If you are considering a career in Hospitality and Tourism, take the leap, apply for the SixStar Scholarship. You have nothing to lose; you can only gain. For myself, this was an incredible gain to add to my studies at Queenstown Resort College.