Intern in New Zealand Onsite Staff

On the Intern in New Zealand program you will be supported by two onsite staff. One is Angela Varelas, who you already know from your internship interview. She matches the CISabroad interns with host organizations and does airport pickup, orientation, and more. You should always feel free to contact Angela if you need anything on the program.

In addition, there is more onsite support. The CISabroad site director is Alexandra Hill (Alex) and she will also do an orientation, plus take you on a few excursions and events throughout the Wellington area. Alex steps into larger emergency situations and is there as another resource.

She was born in Perth, Western Australia and spent the first two years of her life in Lae, Papua New Guinea before returning to Australia. Although born in Australia, she considers herself more a Kiwi, as she has lived in New Zealand for most of her life and now calls Wellington home.alex hill

Alex has worked in international education for twelve years, nine working directly with US study abroad students and more recently with scholarship students. She feels privileged to have also supported students from Africa, South East Asia, Central and South America and the Pacific. At the start of 2014, Alex commenced a Masters in International Development at Victoria University of Wellington and is particularly interested in scholarship programs and the role international education plays in development.

Travel is one of Alex’s favorite activities, but even when she is not travelling she furthers her knowledge of other cultures through reading, listening to current affairs, meeting international students, volunteering and through cooking international dishes. Having two boys keeps her active and as a family they enjoy wharf jumping, swimming, day walks and exploring the outdoors.