Nikki Madden

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Nikki joined Connect-123 after years of adventures, teaching, and projects abroad. After finding a job that helped other people to navigate new adventures, travels, and dreams, she willingly hung up her boots to help others experience the magic that is Ireland!

What is your favorite travel memory?

This is a toughie! Just one?!

Baby turtles hatching on the beach in India. Baby seals playing in rock pools in New Zealand. 36-hour train journeys in India. Amazing hikes in Nepal. Learning to sail in Australia. Tuk tuk journeys in Thailand. I've also had some great memories from teaching abroad! Some of the best times of my life!

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

This role has allowed me to develop my leadership and mentorship skills in a much stronger way. It has given me a chance to use my abilities and experiences to help navigate others and be a support in their own development.

I'm also constantly learning through my students about new and exciting things as well as developing how we work with students, companies, and events.

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

I hear great stories all the time. I'm very proud of all the students here. Whenever I worry about the state of things in the world, I think about all our students who were always aiming for great things!

Recently, one of our students told me she got accepted into NASA, which was a massive dream of hers, just a few short months after they went home from Ireland! Massively proud as punch!

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

I would love to go to South Africa as I've never been anywhere that looks like it. I'd want to do all those adventure activities –rock climbing, shark diving, trekking, go on Safari, see Table Mountain, sunshine, and get to Stellenbosch for some wine tasting!!

We've also got some amazing connect people there, and some really exciting projects! Ah bliss, it looks amazing!

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

For me, Connect-123 is a very special company. From the word go, they were supportive, nurturing and caring, and they built a fantastic environment and atmosphere for our team globally.

This feeling is what I think is passed on with us! We may be many kilometers apart, but we all get the sense that we are a team working towards a common goal.

When we all get together, it's lots of fun! I'm very happy and proud to be part of this family!

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

I think the biggest factor in a successful company is passion, and loving what you do! I also think that as a company, we thrive on helping young people do amazing things in their lives, and to show them what is possible!

The youth of today are looking for experiences that help them see a better world. I like to think that our company is successful because we want to help empower these visions!