Stories from our Public Relations students and alumni
Studying Public Relations gives you new knowledge and skills, and a lot of new choices in life. Here's how things have turned out for some of our Public Relations students and alumni.
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Jacinda Ardern
Bachelor of Communication Studies Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern completed a Bachelor of Communication Studies at Waikato Management School in 2001.
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Rachael Mya Chaitika
Bachelor of Communication Studies I’ve had the opportunity to start a podcast through Nexus Media, and network with organisations. I’ve also learned how the public relations industry functions through industry trips organised by the Management Communication Students’ Association.
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Breana Nobilo
Bachelor of Communication Studies I love that we do very practical assignments with real-world scenarios. My degree covers so many areas and possible careers, with internship and apprenticeship opportunities. This gives a cool hands-on experience in the workplace, which helped me find out what kind of job and workplace I want to go into.
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Celine Kao
Bachelor of Communication Studies with Honours
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Briar Thompson
Bachelor of Communication Studies with Honours “I valued the relationships I had with my lecturers, who challenged and inspired me, and who took an interest in what I wanted to do next and supported me to get there."
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Lani Wreaks
Bachelor of Communication Studies I had the opportunity to work alongside real businesses while still receiving that same level of support and resources you would expect from teaching staff.
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Shaun Kirkham
Bachelor of Communication Studies
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Courtney Stayte
Bachelor of Communication Studies Courtney Stayte says Waikato's Bachelor of Communication is a must for anyone considering a career in public relations. "The qualification relies heavily on putting theory into practice - a must for any PR practitioner."
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Rebecca Foote
Bachelor of Management Studies with Honours We’re a nation of small businesses, so understanding the business and management side of things is a big advantage in any career. I was able to tailor my degree to focus on Public Relations, backed by a solid foundation of business knowledge – there are few other degrees that offer that kind of flexibility.
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Emily Gallagher
Bachelor of Communication Studies One minute I was learning how to write press releases in class, the next I was writing them in real life for the University!
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Ngarangi Stewart
Bachelor of Communication Studies Kapa Haka and Waka Ama go together, I put them both on a pedestal.
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Olivia Kerbers
Bachelor of Communication Studies "The Bachelor of Communication degree gives you a well-rounded balance of theory and how that’s applied in practice. You get so many opportunities to test your knowledge and put your creativity to the test through real-life scenarios, instead of just sitting there reading about it. You’re well supported by your lecturers and tutors, who help you to continually develop your skills.”
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Mariah Ririnui
Bachelor of Communication Studies, Master of Management Studies My degree gave me a really good foundation of skills, communication skills, written and spoken that I could apply to a lot of situations.
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Tessa Preddy
Bachelor of Communication Studies Tessa Preddy is loving her career in public relations and her new life in Wellington. It was all jump-started by an internship with a communications agency that she completed during her university degree, which later turned into a full-time role.
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Libby Baron
Bachelor of Communication Studies Libby Baron is loving the opportunities and lifestyle in Queenstown since she graduated from a Bachelor of Communication degree at Waikato, majoring in public relations.
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Todd Harper
Bachelor of Communication Studies Good communication is absolutely critical to the success of any organisation that needs to make well-informed decisions.
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Ellyse Bowen
Bachelor of Communication Studies Ellyse Bowen started out as a marketing intern at the University of Waikato, and she jumped at the chance to work here full-time.
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Abbey Hilson
Bachelor of Communication Studies Creating a real-life public relations campaign in third year was 100% the highlight of my BCS degree. We learnt how to deal with people, clients, deadlines, stress and all the things that come with working in the real world. It was a great stepping stone.
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Stacey McIntosh
Bachelor of Management Studies with Honours Stacey McIntosh is the brains behind one of New Zealand’s latest fashion successes, and if you’re a bit clothes-obsessed, it’s likely you’ve heard of it.
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Olivia Leckner
Bachelor of Communication Studies In my job, I get to contribute to the planning and implementation of strategies and I'm also learning a lot about risk and reputation management, media relations, and public relations strategy.
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Monica Helbano
Bachelor of Communication Studies Studying at Waikato University gave me a solid footing for getting into the professional world.
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Lucas de Jong
Bachelor of Communication Studies With BBC World News, you're working on the biggest stories in the world. So I bounce around a bit, producing stories, editing, doing voice-overs, even overnight reporting. I really love being out in the field, seeing stories unfold in front of me.
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Bryce Bozadjian
Bryce travelled from the United States to New Zealand to study at the University of Waikato on our study abroad programme.