Grad success: best part of the job
May 27, 2007 by Gary Schlee
This is a time of year I particularly enjoy. I’ve been meeting with student interns in the campus courtyard (where the picture on the right was taken), hearing about the experience they’ve gained, the responsibilities they’ve been given, and the jobs and contracts they’ve landed. Now, I wouldn’t want you to think everyone’s gainfully employed — most of them just finished their field placements last Friday. But it’s already clear that the majority of them are either staying on where they did their internships or have landed a new position that starts in the next week or two. The rest of the class probably won’t be far behind in finding their first opportunities.
The Class of ‘07 seen here (there’ll be a second ‘07 group next autumn) are the best way to for me talk about success. In the group are the following emerging practitioners:
- corporate communicators working for Air Miles, Enbridge and RBC Insurance
- new communicators doing public relations at agencies like Cohn & Wolfe, Edelman, Fleishman-Hillard, High Road, Holmes, Mansfield, Q Group and Punch
- publicists working for Random House, CTV Entertainment, Buena Vista and the Bata Shoe Museum
- communicators at the York University Foundation and in the Ontario Health Minister’s office
- two event planners and one wedding planner
- other interns at Alberta’s Capital Health, Amp d’Mobile, Bombardier, Canadian Stage Company, Children’s Aid, Context Creative, Geneva Centre for Autism, Habitat for Humanity, Media Matters, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Peel United Way, Torchia PR and Toronto Argos
Go forth and prosper.
4 Responses to “Grad success: best part of the job”
Oh, you’re so much kinder than I am in your end-of-the-year post. On the other hand you’ve got reason to be happy — and proud. Congratulations on a successful year.
Congrats to these grads! Well done to you as well, Gary.
Thanks, Karen. Your posts about your Bateman team’s success were equally uplifting.
Thanks, Will. Your Facebook group for Centennial grads and students is a great initiative. It’s nice to see it continue to grow.
Dedicated, engaged program faculty. Supportive organizations that look to Centennial College year after year for skilled, “market-ready” interns. Knowledgeable, caring Field Placement supervisors who guide interns through their blunders and boasts. It’s quite a winning combination. What I love most about the process? Observing how apprehensive pre-interns who wonders “can I do it?” move towards genuine confidence in their abilities to succeed in the world of PR after only eight weeks of Field Placement. Thanks for the reminder of what our business is all about.