Guest Post: Annaleisha Rae
If there is one thing that I have learnt in my lifetime, it is the importance of taking opportunities when they are presented to you. So although it was not originally the motive of my trip, the chance to come and spend my three-month vacation at the Kiwi Landing Pad was too enticing to pass.
I am a 21-year-old student from AUT University in Auckland, in my final year of Communications majoring in Public Relations. This has always been the degree I wanted to pursue, hoping to become the next Pippa Wetzel or even Suzy Cato. Although I still think that would be fun, my aspirations have turned to public relations since taking a year off to travel around the world with the Volvo Ocean Race and gain work experience with CAMPER’s media team.
So now I have ended up in San Francisco, primarily involved with the America’s Cup, as my dad (Tony Rae) is a sailor onboard the kiwi boat. The Kiwi Landing Pad had been talking to AUT about an opportunity for someone to help out with their busy schedule of events surrounding the Cup – and so, here I am, snatching up an amazing opportunity.
After only two days here in the SoMa district, the midst of the world’s tech scene, it is mind-blowing to realise what goes on from day to day and the value of a place like the Kiwi Landing Pad for us little Kiwi’s to try and make sense of exactly how this city works and how we can make it work for us. Judging by what I have already learnt from this experience, the next three months are going to be full-on, inspirational and a whole heap of fun.