Jaimie Tucker
Student
International Business
Television remote controls seem to have a remarkable ability, matched only by car keys, to mysteriously disappear just as you need to use them. Finding a solution to this perennial problem inspired Jaimie Tucker's first foray into the world of business, as a high school student studying Enterprise in Wanaka.
Although the high-tech solution devised by Jaimie and her business partners proved too costly to get off the ground at the time, they diversified and adapted, creating a profitable customised clothing business, and Jaimie went on to win an Otago Chamber of Commerce award for financial planning and analysis.
So once high school had finished, she says that crossing the border from Wanaka to Dunedin to study International Business at the University of Otago wasn't a difficult choice to make.
And she hasn't regretted the decision. “International Business is perfect for anyone who's passionate about business but isn't sure exactly which direction they want to go in,” Jaimie says. “The course allows you to take a broad range of papers and decide what your strengths and weaknesses are and what you are passionate about.”
One of the requirements of the degree is that students learn a foreign language, and Jaimie says that Spanish has become a new source of enthusiasm for her. She's considering spending a semester overseas in a Spanish-speaking country on one of the student exchange programmes offered by the University.
“The exchange would give me the opportunity to become immersed in the whole Spanish culture,” Jaimie says. “It's the best way to truly understand and improve your speaking of the language.”