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Angela is our Administration Team Leader, responsible for overseeing applications, orientation, insurance and all things serious like that. Ang came to us with over 12 years in hospitality, but that doesn’t mean she’ll tuck you in at night. She saves that for one very active toddler, which means she’s also great at providing advice to international students with families. Ang once visited 15 countries in 13 weeks, and can even remember some of them, which is possibly more impressive. Ang has a penchant for adrenalin. If she’s not attracting it at work, she’s seeking it in nearby Queenstown by bungy jumping, bridge swinging or screaming through numerous jetboat rides.
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Belinda is a born and bred Southlander who deserted us for a while to work in the seafood industry in Nelson, the Chatham Islands and Sydney in roles ranging from warehousing to marketing. Thankfully she came to her senses and returned, becoming our accommodation and graduation guru, responsible for overseeing the expanding SIT Apartments and organising SIT's Graduation ceremonies. Belinda has two children, sits on her local school's Board of Trustees, and practises her karate chop (six years of training, even!). All that experience means that Belinda can enrol you, house you and cap you at graduation. And even karate chop you – but only if there's fishy business.
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Karthikeyan is our cheeky International Marketing Manager for South and East India, Nepal, Bhutan and Russia. After working in student recruitment in India, Karthi chose SIT to complete his Postgraduate Diploma in Business Enterprise. SIT then chose Karthi to work for us in a role which takes him back to India often. If he's in New Zealand, you might find him looking forward to Friday, shifting house, or travelling around. A self-described ‘petrol head’, Karthi has managed to drive all around our country, taking in the amazing landscapes both close and far from Invercargill. He also reckons his smile is good enough for a toothpaste advert, but we couldn’t possibly comment.
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Ken is living proof that institutional memory is a good thing. He's been here since aggges ago, and thus knows basically everything about SIT. Which is a great thing if you're in his region of Southeast and Northeast Asia: Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Japan and South Korea. Ken also knows where to get all the awesome stuff in Southland. Whether it be finding the best glacial ice to go in your après ski drink or the best vantage point to see the aurora australis (the Southern Lights), Ken knows. Seriously, get in good with this guy: it will make your time in Invercargill all the more enjoyable.
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Liz left her small North Island town of Pahiatua in 2007, swapping it for the bright lights and cafes of Invercargill. Since starting at SIT, Liz has been a jack of all trades, and is now our Homestay Coordinator, responsible for placing our new international students with friendly Kiwi families. She also helps out with an international visit or two, including our Japanese sister city partners from Kumugaya. Coming from a massive extended family (her father is one of 13 and her mother is one of seven which makes for a lot of cousins), Liz is used to dealing with lots of people from all walks of life. She's even about to leave us to add to her family. But don't worry: she'll be back!
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Pat first came to New Zealand ten years ago for work. We managed to charm her socks off enough that she decided to move here permanently, which is a bonus for us and her regions of China and Vietnam. While Pat still enjoys visiting China, she has adopted Southland as her home: “The wonderful scenery, friendly people and relaxed lifestyle make it a very special part of the world.” When Pat's not being a workaholic, she's cooking for her son, making him study really hard for his exams, or enjoying ocean cruises (just don't remind her she can't swim). Also, rumour has it that Pat likes to be teased...
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Terri is a born and bred Southlander who grew up on a sheep farm near Winton, about 20 minutes north of Invercargill. More comfortable in gumboots than high heels, Terri enjoys tramping in the outdoors (to clarify, that’s what we Kiwis call hiking). With a love of travel, she has worked in Australia, the United Kingdom and Europe, and even taught English in China. With all that travel experience, it’s no surprise that Terri is our resident visa expert, helping our students with their visa applications. In fact, she’s so good we’re pretty sure she could run Immigration New Zealand single-handedly.
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Trisha is Programme Manager for our cutting-edge English Language Institute, a role which sees her oversee our 24 Week English Scholarships programme. With a background in teaching, Trisha has taught eight year olds, adults, and everything in between. She’s also taught all around the world, from the North Island (Auckland, Whakatane and New Plymouth) to the Northern Hemisphere (London and Kuwait). When her twin boys aren’t driving her crazy, you’ll find Trisha trying to become the next Nigella Lawson (i.e. watching the Food Channel), playing tennis or trying to hook tickets to the netball (Go the Steel!).
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Vinay is our International Marketing Manager for North, West and Central India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. After establishing his career in India, Vinay came to SIT to complete a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Enterprise to gain international exposure. Loving Southland and New Zealand so much, he stayed on to work for us, even starting our Certificate in Project Management. You might find Vinay encouraging you to eat sweet, sweet treats from India or attempting to dance to Bollywood movies and music (though we haven't seen him in action yet). He's even started to like rugby – but not as much as he likes Tendulkar.
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Whitney is our bubbly International Administrator and Receptionist, the enthusiastic first point of contact for all our students and visitors. Even though she has been known to watch the odd reality TV show, Whitney is an accomplished classical singer. She has even debuted at number five on the New Zealand independent music charts, knocking off a number of famous New Zealand acts. After a full day at SIT, Whitney heads home to study for her SIT Postgraduate Diploma in Business Enterprise. And if you want to sign her for her next big international break, we're more than happy to offer reasonable agency fees.
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