A prize-winning student, Mr Kearns (25) will gain a bachelor of commerce degree, majoring in marketing and tourism.
He will be among about 500 graduands in commerce and several other disciplines, including science and surveying, who will graduate from the university at a 3pm ceremony at the Dunedin Town Hall.
"I have been successful juggling both roles for the last four years, maintaining five papers a year and working at AA five days a week.
"I have maintained high grades at university and still managed to exceed 100% of my targets with the AA every year," he said.
As well as working for at least 25 hours a week as a customer services consultant at the Moray Pl, Dunedin, branch of the AA, and carrying out his academic work, he has also found time for much else besides, including taking part in national and international business case competitions.
"I've had an amazing year. I've managed to travel around the world and visit 17 countries and learn about various economies that I've studied at Otago," he said.
Last year, he was a member of the Otago University team which won the overall National League Business Case competition, beating teams from five other universities.
Born in Dunedin, Mr Kearns attended Kavanagh College. His father, Daniel, was born in Dublin, later moving to New Zealand.
In January this year, Mr Kearns was granted six months' unpaid leave from AA to complete a student exchange to the Quinn School of Business in Dublin.
While in Dublin, Mr Kearns and a fellow Quinn student won an Ernst and Young Apprentice-style business competition, sharing the 2500 first prize with his business idea of a solar-powered waste-compactor system.
Mr Kearns must soon decide on his next career move. Options include working for AA in its Auckland head office, undertaking further study in Ireland or setting up his own sustainable waste-management business.
AA Otago district manager Nick Horn has praised Mr Kearns for his hard work and positive contribution to the organisation.
Mr Kearns said he was grateful to AA for its flexibility with his working hours, enabling him to accommodate his academic schedule and still keep working, as he had done since he began his studies in May 2006.
His academic work had benefited from "real life" experience he had gleaned from dealing with many AA customers, including through issuing driver licences and selling travel packages.
And his marketing studies had given him deeper understanding of customer psychology, enabling him to better meet AA client needs.
