Tag Archives: branding

Algonquin College PR Grads of 2010

The public relations program is piloting WhyHire.me this term. I have been fortunate enough to meet and work with this class of graduating PR professionals.  I’d like to introduce you to a few who have chosen to make their WhyHire.me profiles public.  Click their names to see their WhyHire.me profiles. There will be more coming soon!

Femi Fasoyinu - Profile PictureFemi Fasoyinu -  Taking a proactive approach to building relationships, Femi makes his teamwork skills an asset to any organization. Femi takes on assignments with enthusiasm to deliver his best work. Being an organized, professional, and energetic communicator, Femi takes on challenges with more than the required effort every time.

maeMae McCrae - Mae is a compelling speaker with a passion for positively influencing lives. A former youth leader, she now manages a young marrieds group, drama, and music department for her church. Mae has a flare for giving a project a unique and recognizable stamp. Her way with words and great listening skills will be valuable to any organization.

ziemZiem Phala – A hardworking and energetic communicator, Ziem has a passion for public relations and fashion. Her drive and creativity have helped her succeed in a team managing musicians and as a self starter . Her background in mass communication and public relations give her a unique outlook on communications and social media and their uses in fashion.

samanthaSamantha Dumas – Samantha is a positive, motivating force on every team. She thrives as a collaborative leader and is a confident problem-solver. These qualities allow her to take on big projects such as coordinating urban arts festival, House of Paint. Samantha is both intelligent and intuitive. She has a passion for learning, writing, dancing and singing.

yaelYael Santo – A love for the written word serves as the driving force behind Yael’s commitment to perfect her writing skills. Her creativity outside the page is found in strategy development, while her commitment to quality work is reflected in her grades. High organizational skills, strong communication skills, and bilingualism make her an asset to any project.


sarah shireySarah Shirey – I am a vibrant, forward-looking, and passionate public relations practitioner interested in building a career focused on achieving impressive results for an organization with a bias for action. I have significant, hands-on training in various PR roles, including issues management, event management, project management, and relationship management.

samantha hartleySamantha Hartley – Samantha is an energetic self-starter committed to growth and believes hard work is the path to success. Her thirst for knowledge has transformed her from a small-town girl to a young woman ready to take on the world. A three-year honour student, she’s a natural communicator and believes in maintaining relationships through respect and trust.


amy campsallAmy Campsall – Amy strives to exceed expectations while creating new opportunities. Her compassion makes her an excellent team player, while her independence and ability to adapt allow her to face challenges with enthusiasm. Amy has experience in event management and social media and is looking to build a career in communications, while continuing to learn.

Great story telling in action

Be it personal branding or getting people to move on an agenda, a great story can draw in your audience and compel them to act. A story that can draw on emotion, sentiment or critical thinking can have a much greater impact.

Check out this production on the benefits of banking locally. My bet is, George Bailey is someone that 98% of North Americans can identity with. Someone did a great job linking the underlying storyline of Its a Wonderful Life to the merits of community banking.

The Transparent Generation – Educators Take Note!

I have to admit, I do smile whenever I checkout my nephew’s Facebook pages. His entire life is being documented, minute by minute. So much information is being shared, indexed and made available for those that care, or those that have taken an interest in someone.

Today’s high school and post-secondary students are quite comfortable with logging in, sharing photos, texting updates and sharing their views on self-made or external news. They do have a tremendous opportunity to develop an online persona that can track their every movement from Friday afternoon, to very early in the morning on Sunday.

What about their future professional lives? How are they discovering and documenting their interests, passions and interaction with news (self-made, local or global)? Do they have a working framework that can help guide them through the discovery of their career passions? Where can they validate their unique views or new ideas? Where are they documenting and sharing their projects, outcomes and experiences?

Facebook and Myspace are not the place. Linkedin? Its the network where relationships and work experience matter. Tomorrow’s graduates need a clean break from social networks. They need a place to document their potential as they progress through post-secondary education and beyond.

Stay tuned for more on this topic. Whyhire.me is coming.

The End of the Term

This week is review week at Algonquin College.