Meet Crystal Wang, who recently joined the marketing team and loves yoga, windsurfing and has two very cute dogs!
What is your role?
I recently joined Unitec’s Product Marketing team as a business partner. My role is to connect and support the academic programme by providing clear market insights, connecting academic plans back to the marketing team and managing ongoing delivery of the marketing strategy.
In my opinion, 2022 will be another difficult year, particularly as a “Post-Covid” recovery year. However, I believe that facing challenges also means taking advantage of opportunities. I enjoyed implementing fresh ideas to link with student recruitment campaigns at the beginning of the year, and I’m very excited to see the ‘In-person’ events slowly come back to life.
Working at my practice
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work?
Outside of work, I am a devoted Ashtanga yoga practitioner; Ashtanga yoga is a specific sequence of advanced yoga postures that emphasises the flow and breath between movements. Unlike vinyasa yoga, the Ashtanga series is a sequence of specific movements—which I discovered in my practice journey like “swinging”- when you feel stuck at one point, learn to go back to the beginning/basics. Ashtanga yoga has a very special meaning for me; it has helped me not only physically but also mentally for many years.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Shijiazhuang in northern China, which is the capital and largest city of North China’s Hebei province. The province is not far from inner Mongolia, and my grandfather’s generation was moved down from there. My grandparents spoke Russian as a second language for historical reasons, and I found the city to be very welcoming to different cultures.
Do you speak any other languages?
Yes, I am also fluent in Mandarin. I moved to New Zealand when I was young and have lived here longer than I have in China, but I believe I should never forget my roots, and I genuinely think the language represents my ties to my heritage.
Tell us a funny memory from childhood…
When I first arrived in New Zealand, I was 13 or 14 years old and I barely spoke fluent English. I didn’t know how to order KFC at that time, and when I said to the staff, “I want chicken.” they replied, “We have many chicken options, which one do you want?” I found it was hilarious.
What is you favourite movie?
My favourite movie is Cinema Paradiso. There is no American-style heroism in the film, and each character trait is rendered very authentically. Furthermore, the film reflects on my childhood and I was moved by the film and cried for quite some time.
Juju- Too cute!
Dobby – Even cuter!
Pets you want to brag about?
I have two woof boys, Dobby — The name is inspired by Harry Potter (11 years old) and another one Juju (10 years old). Because of the lockdown in previous years, my dogs began to have separation issues, so I simply began to train them to watch “dog TV” to relieve their anxiety.
Tell us an achievement out of work that you’re proud of…
I almost drowned in the sea a few years ago when I got caught in a rip current, so I avoided water sports for a long time. Last year, with the encouragement of my partner, I restarted water sports and began windsurfing. I feel proud that I got up from where I fell.
What’s your favourite food?
Calzone (Folded Pizza) with spicy toppings.