EPeeps Maxine Sannum | Senior Customer Support Specialist

Hello! My name is Maxine Sannum, and I’m a Senior Customer Support Specialist in our lovely Support team. I live in Dunedin with my husband Chris and our wee puppy Pepper. I have been with Education Perfect since January 2021 and love it!

Tell us a bit about yourself! (personal and/or work life)

I have lived in Dunedin my whole life and don’t plan on ever leaving. I love my family, especially my mum, who has Multiple Sclerosis, she is a huge light in my life and an absolute champion – up until two months ago, I still lived with my mum and my grandparents! My husband Chris and I got married in February of this year and finally bought our first home. I’m a big gamer, and in my spare time, you will mostly find me playing on my Playstation. I love all genres of gaming, and I’m always trying something new.

If I am not gaming, you will find me at the gym with Chris or at singing lessons. I have been professionally trained in singing since I was 13 years old and I love it – through singing I have meet some of my closest friends and have been a part of some wonderful workshops with coaches who have worked with Grammy winning artists. I also love spending times with my friends and try and have wee holidays together or playing board games.

Why do you love working at EP?

I love working at EP simply because of how welcoming and kind the people are and how many of us there are! I was really nervous to work in a big company with so many people, in my previous role in retail I only worked with a team of ten. Everyone here is willing to help you or if you just want to have a chat. It has been great coming to work everyday knowing I will likely talk to someone new and knowing I have a great support system here. 

What book/movie/podcast has been a big influence on you?

Easy, Jurassic Park! I watch these movies every couple of months and still LOVE them. Every time I watch the first one and we see the dinosaurs for the first time I am still in awe – Jurassic Park started many loves for me – dinosaurs, museums and of course Sam Neill. I wasn’t alive when the first movie came out so I missed it on the big screen. Recently in my town, one of the movie theatres played it and a friend of mine bought tickets for me and Chris as an engagement present and I cried when I saw it. Luckily, I have a very understanding husband who doesn’t laugh at me for it.

Favourite feature of the platform?

I love our Translation Lists! I like to keep busy and I love learning. I often use our translation lists to help refresh languages that I learnt at high school and to help prepare for my 4 week trip to Europe and the UK next year! They are quick and easy to use and easy to revise with.

Tell us about your pet/s!

I love animals and I have always had a pet at any given moment. My family are massive animal lovers too and the most pets we had at one time was 12.

Currently, Chris and I have a 4-month old Jack Russell/Foxie/Shih Tzu (Pepper) and at my mum’s I have me 14 year old cat Poppy. Pepper keeps us busy, she is a tiny ball of energy, she is just the best.  She has filled a missing part of my heart and we don’t know what we would do without her!

Any last words you would like to share?

I have recently learnt how quickly life can change. This has showed me to enjoy life everyday and share your love with those around you while you can. It is easy to take your life and loved ones for granted so make sure you are showing your appreciation everyday, even if it just someone doing the dishes for you!