Maria Yarazett Olmos (Yara) has always wondered about the world, the people, and the cultures within it. Originally from Los Cabos, Mexico, an international touristic city, it is no surprise that business studies would become her perfect match. 

In 2018 Yara decided she wanted to rediscover her path after working in Sales and Marketing for AB InBev, the world's largest brewer and owner of Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois beer brands. 

With a lot of courage, I decided to quit my job, use my savings to travel and to pursue my ambition to earn a qualification overseas. I contacted Abroad Global's headquarters in Auckland, and they strongly recommended Otago Polytechnic due to the alumni's high level of satisfaction… and they were so right

Now, Yara is in her final year of a Graduate Diploma in Applied Management, with a previous Marketing and Commerce degree from Autonomous University of Guadalajara, Mexico. 

The Graduate Diploma in Applied Management allowed Yara to intern for Otago Polytechnics’ marketing department in the final stages of her qualification. 

"It was one of my best work experiences ever. The marketing team is so welcoming, friendly, and empowering. They allowed me to bring marketing ideas, implement market tests, create social media content for students’ events and introduced me to the kiwi work culture". 

Yara’s student internship position went hand in hand with her final year research project exploring how to improve content marketing in social media to engage with Gen Z. 

The study identified Gen Z's most-used social media networks, the content they find relevant to interact with, and the willingness of students to create content for OP social media. The concept was selected to align with the latest digital marketing trends and the Gen Z target audience as it is one of the majority groups of potential students, with unique social media behaviours. 

Yara had the opportunity to present her research project to her peers and business partners at the Otago Polytechnic end of year School of Business Showcase. 

It was "like an emotional rollercoaster: I was excited, nervous, curious, tired and then relieved! Overall, I was proud to present something I worked on intensely for three months. It was also fulfilling to see my classmates' research projects". 

Yara is now looking into future opportunities in the digital world. 

I want to work in a digital marketing agency to have more experience in different industries, help more small businesses and implement all sorts of strategies all while enjoying more of New Zealand.