Meet Miracle Fauo’o: NZST Student of the Year

Samoan student, Miracle Fauo’o, has been named the New Zealand School of Tourism Student of the Year for the Auckland Airport campus.

In just a year, the 20-year-old dynamo has catapulted from the role of Receptionist to an accomplished Accounts Receivable Clerk at Pullman Hotels and Resorts.

When asked about her achievements leading to the 'Auckland Airport Student of the Year' accolade, Miracle humbly reflects on her dedication and sacrifices: "The time and effort I dedicated to campus extra-curricular activities, alongside meeting deadlines and striving to balance my studies, work, and personal life, are what I believe got me to the peak of success – a milestone I never thought I would achieve at such a young age."

Miracle attributes much of her success to the nurturing learning environment at NZST. She especially appreciates how the education programmes expanded her understanding and interest of the tourism sector, which is more interesting and lucrative than she had ever thought.

Now, Miracle has three NZST qualifications under her belt; Level 4 Certificate in Aviation (Flight Attending), Level 5 Diploma in Tourism & Travel Management, Level 6 Diploma in Tourism and Travel Management. Her abundance of knowledge and skills in the sector has allowed her to dream big, feeding into her aspiration to become the General Manager at hotel conglomerate, Accor Hotels.

When asked what fuels her drive, Miracle says: “I always remind myself that my why is bigger than my fears. Being raised as a young Samoan Teine (girl) I am raised to be respectful of those around me, I’ve always held that close to me. I kept my head in them books first before wanting to head out to do anything else.”

As she looks to the future, she envisions traversing the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures beyond her own, fuelled by her insatiable thirst for adventure and knowledge.