Staff Spotlight: Jessica Kennedy

A passionate traveler, I have studied international tourism for the past 8 years and spent time in many countries working and traveling including the USA, China, and New Zealand. I truly believe in the power of cultural exchange and the meaningful interactions, experiences, and relationships created that bring people closer together towards a brighter and enriched world.

My favorite travel memory is my skydiving experience in Queenstown, New Zealand. You can not travel to the adrenaline capital of the world and not throw yourself out of a plane at 15,000 feet.

The free fall was such a surreal experience, after the initial shock of falling from the sky I took a moment to take in the surrounding views. Drifting around the clouds over Lake Wakatipu admiring the endless snow-capped mountains. The experience really put into perspective how small I am and how incredibly large the world is.

Once I landed back on the ground, me and two friends went to a local bar and shared our skydiving experiences over a mulled wine by the log fire, it was the perfect end to a great day.

I recently caught up with a Smaller Earth participant from Scotland who spent the summer in Queenstown working as a lift operator at a ski resort in the mountains.

Seeing his face light up when he talked about his job as a lift operator filled me with pride and satisfaction. He explained how he interacts with hundreds of people every day from all over the world and even though many of them speak different languages, the people he meets all share the same common interest and have a love for the snow which allows them to connect even when language barriers get in the way.

He lives with an English guy who we connected him with prior to his arrival in New Zealand. They also work together, spending the majority of their day's side by side. They relate to one another as brothers now when just three months earlier they had never before met.

It is these kinds of connections that make our jobs so important, breaking down barriers and creating meaningful interactions between people.

I would go on the Kiwi and Kiwi program! New Zealand is such a magical place, it's uncrowded, green and not to mention incredibly beautiful from every angle.

I love being outdoors, exploring nature and skiing. All of which is plentiful in New Zealand.
There are a number of roles offered on the Kiwi and Kiwi program that are entry level, I would not be held back from securing employment by lacking necessary qualifications.

Kiwi's are extremely welcoming, easy going and friendly. They have an enviable work life balance, believing that life is for living. Working hard to get the job done and enjoying plenty of free time with friends and doing recreational activities.

For Smaller Earth, the biggest factor is staff believing in the company values and purpose. With invested, passionate and motivated staff the company continuously strive every day to meet the values and live the company purpose of inspiring people to go further.

Our staff is pushed out of their comfort zones regularly to help them grow as individuals which feed into our participants.