8 June 2016 at 9:00 am
A new group of US Kiwi Ambassadors
There were so many US student applications for the fourth round of New Zealand’s Generation Study Abroad Excellence and Travel Awards that ENZ and the university selection panels had their work cut out for them choosing the 2016 Semester Two (July-November) award recipients last month.
Welcome Kiwi Ambassadors!
It was so difficult that ENZ decided the group of runners-up would be offered the chance to be ‘Honorary’ Kiwi Ambassadors. This meant they could still share their semester experience in New Zealand through the Study in New Zealand Instagram.
The #StudyinNZ page will therefore shortly welcome the next round of Kiwi Ambassadors, the 13 award recipients, and a further group of 29 Honorary Kiwi Ambassadors when they arrive in New Zealand in July.
The Instagram page has quickly become a hit with the US students and has already attracted almost 15,000 followers. Certainly, as you can see if you view the page, the current Kiwi Ambassadors have had no trouble finding picturesque opportunities during their semester in New Zealand! Images of nature, food, sunsets and wildlife predominate.
ENZ’s staff in the US, Amy Rutherford and Alanna Dick, have found the #StudyinNZ Instagram page a powerful tool in promoting New Zealand as an education destination.
“When I suggest students and study abroad advisors follow Study In New Zealand on Instagram, the conversation about studying abroad in New Zealand continues long after the study fair or campus visit is over,” says Alanna.
“It’s one thing me telling students what it’s like studying in New Zealand, it’s another when the students can see it in real time for themselves!”
More about the Awards
Education New Zealand partnered with the eight New Zealand universities and six institutes of technology and polytechnics to offer these awards as part of their support of the Institute of International Education’s Generation Study Abroad initiative, and its aim of doubling the number of US students who study abroad.
For Semester Two this year, ENZ awarded four US students the $2,000 Generation Study Abroad Travel Award to cover their airfare. The students are attending the University of Auckland, the University of Otago, and EcoQuest, a Private Training Establishment.
The universities awarded nine US students New Zealand Universities Excellence Awards (NZUEAs) which cover $500 of tuition fees and other associated costs. The students come from universities all over the US, from University of Florida to California Polytechnic State University.
