Sam Kamani with students who received copies of his book.
International students at EIT’s Auckland campus have been able to connect with a number of distinguished visitors over the last few weeks. A Guest Presenter Series, featuring high profile industry leaders and visionaries, has resulted in standing-room-only sessions.
The sessions kicked off on Wednesday 18 September with Sam Kamani, an award-winning e-commerce entrepreneur and start-up superstar. Sam talked about his experience as an international student, how he developed his marketability to prospective business partners and the value of networking. Having built up over 4,000 connections on LinkedIn, you could say he knows what he’s talking about.
Next up was IT strategist, Anthony McMahon who shared his unique perspectives on New Zealand workplace cultures and behaviours. The students were able to ask questions about the rapidly evolving IT sector in which they hope to build their future careers.
As well as industry high flyers, leading academics also provided Auckland students with enriched learning exchanges. Michael Goldweber is a Professor of Computer Science at Xavier University in Ohio in the United States, and was a visiting researcher at AUT in 2015.
Michael’s special interests include the complex interfaces between technology and communities. His professional relationship with EIT’s Associate Professor, Alison Clear is one of enduring collaboration and mutual respect. Alison was able to facilitate a special appearance and fascinating guest lecture to students by Skype on Wednesday 25 September. “Face-to-face” has many meanings these days and EIT is committed to providing students with a diverse range of engagement opportunities with business leaders, industry experts and other professional luminaries.
The series concluded on Wednesday 2 October with renowned business development specialist and mentor, Ankita Dey. EIT is delighted to be able to host such in-demand presenters, whose industry expertise and insights provide an invaluable learning experience for students.