Athena Liu Accounting and Finance (with placement), 2019

Assurance Associate, EY

When I first came to Southampton on an Open Day, I loved the campus atmosphere. It’s a very diverse environment, which allowed me to gain a great international perspective and learn to work with people from different nationalities.

The Student’s Union has over 300 societies and lots of events throughout the year. I always had opportunities to meet new people and try new things. For example, I joined the Skydive Society and trained to be a qualified skydiver!

There were so many highlights throughout my journey at Southampton. I spent lots of time and enjoyed making progress on improving my employability. For example in my first year, I did my first internship in SUSU through the University’s Excel Internship Scheme. In my second year, I was a Halls Officer, International Students’ Offer and worked part-time for SUSU catering services on campus. Finally, I successfully secured a placement year with Norwegian Cruise Lines with massive help from the Placements Officer in the Business School.

I successfully secured a placement year with Norwegian Cruise Lines with massive help from the Placements Office. I worked as a Business Operation (Planning and Analysis) Intern. Being exposed to the business operation of an international cruise company was an incredible and insightful experience.

At Norwegian Cruise Lines, I was a Business Operation (Planning and Analysis) Intern, which involved preparing daily, weekly and monthly reports for Passenger’s Services, across three brands and different countries. I also planned rosters for teams such as Reservations and Helpdesk, and assisted the call centre operation on a daily basis.

Being exposed to the business operation of an international cruise company was an incredible and insightful experience. I enjoyed working there, as the work environment was fun and friendly!

During my degree, I definitely increased my knowledge in areas in which I was interested in developing my career, such as Financial Services and the Banking Industry. My lecturers were always helpful if I had any questions. The analytical and report-writing skills I developed, really helped on my placement. Moreover, there were many guest lectures and employer networking events organised by the Careers Centre or other societies, which offer a great insight into industries you’re interested in.