My international internship experience in Shanghai: A graduate blog

30 September 2026

From speaking at an international leadership conference and supporting an event at the United Nations, to graduating with First Class Honours from UWTSD’s BA International Travel and Tourism Management programme, Angelika Jasnos made the most of every opportunity during her student journey.

Following her graduation in Summer 2026, Angelika travelled to Shanghai to undertake an international internship with destination and event management company CR Solutions.

In this blog, she reflects on the experiences that helped her reach this point, what she learned from living and working in China, and how the opportunity has shaped her future career ambitions.

When I started studying International Travel and Tourism Management at UWTSD, I knew that I wanted my future career to have an international element. I have always enjoyed travelling, discovering different cultures and meeting people, but during my degree I became particularly interested in events and the possibility of building a career in international event and conference management.

My time at UWTSD gave me opportunities to develop far beyond the classroom. I became involved in organising and supporting a variety of events, including co-delivering Taste of Trinity, which welcomed more than 250 attendees, and later working on professional and international events. I also became involved with the Commonwealth Leadership Institute and helped organise Leading Beyond Borders: People, Place & Purpose, bringing together speakers and delegates from Australia, the Solomon Islands and the UK. These experiences gradually built my confidence and showed me that events were the direction I wanted to pursue professionally.

Towards the end of my degree, I wanted to take the next step and gain professional experience internationally. With support from UWTSD and partial funding through Taith, I was able to undertake an international internship in Shanghai arranged through Absolute Internship. There, I joined CR Solutions, a destination management and event management company, gaining first-hand experience of working in an international events environment.

During the internship, my main project focused on researching venues for a potential corporate client looking for experiences incorporating AI, technology and robotics. After identifying suitable options, we carried out site inspections across Shanghai and prepared presentation materials for the client. It was incredibly rewarding to hear that the proposal was well received.

Visiting the venues was probably the most memorable part of the internship itself. Seeing how advanced some of the technology was and experiencing robots and other high-tech concepts first-hand was completely different from simply researching them online. It also gave me practical insight into how a DMC researches experiences, evaluates venues and develops ideas around a client’s brief.

Outside work, Shanghai itself was an experience I will never forget. I was fascinated by how convenient everyday life felt. From Didi (taxi) and food delivery to the technology used throughout the city, so many things seemed to work incredibly efficiently. I loved the food, especially the seafood, and eating out became a normal part of everyday life. Even when there was a language barrier, I generally found people friendly and always managed to find a way to communicate.

Living and working in Shanghai also showed me that I can adapt to a completely different environment. Moving to the other side of the world can sound intimidating, but once I arrived, I settled into life there much more naturally than I expected. If I could change one thing about the experience, I would simply have stayed longer.

The internship has strengthened my ambition to build a career in international events and conference management. I am now looking for opportunities where I can continue developing my event planning and coordination skills, work with people from different countries and, eventually, travel internationally as part of my career. Shanghai gave me a taste of the kind of international working environment I hope will become a much bigger part of my future.

For any student considering an international internship, my advice would be simple: do it, even if you’re scared. Be open-minded, try new things and make the most of your time there because it goes incredibly quickly. You may come home with professional experience, but you also come home knowing much more about yourself and what you are capable of.