a lasting connection

The relationships that form on the internship do not end with graduation. We invite interns into an enduring network and because of the unique nature of the internship, strong bonds tend to be formed among alumni. We love to stay in touch with our alumni to continue the conversation that the internship began. We communicate regularly with alumni about our work, extend invitations to our events, and keep our door open at all times for their news, questions and comments.

alumni weekends

Every year we hold a retreat weekend, bringing together alumni from across the country to network and re-engage with the people and ideas they encountered during their time at Maxim Institute. These weekends provide alumni with more opportunities to continue refining their thinking, to reflect and to strengthen relationships.

“Questions were encouraged, thinking was valued, growing as a person was essential. ”

Wade McMillan (CEO Brothers in Arms)

Maxim is giving young New Zealanders an opportunity to grow as people. It gave me that opportunity when I was an intern. Questions were encouraged, thinking was valued, growing as a person was essential. One thing I find really interesting and healthy about Maxim is that the people who make it up don’t always agree. They have differences of opinion and perspective while still holding to a common ground – a heart for our New Zealand.

Since finishing the internship I have left my engineering career to become CEO of a charity called “Brothers in Arms.” We are connecting at-risk young people – young people who are going off the rails – with volunteer mentors from their local area, strengthening communities through positive relationships. I love bringing the ideas, perspectives and connections I developed at Maxim, and mashing them together with the processes of making things work from engineering, in a context that I care a lot about — loving our neighbours by investing ourselves.