Public Relations Class of 2009

Jenn Currie
Sarah Hawkins
Carling Hind
Candace Jones
Jamil Karim

Brent Kubara
Karin Lornsen
Angela Madaski
Tristan Packer
Bryn Silver

Alyssa Smith
Shannon Smith
Christine Tseng
Daniela Vanderliek
Alexandra Verzuh

Jenn Currie, B.A. Psychology, is the Founder and President of Connecta Communications, a public relations company which specializes in branding and social media. Jenn has worked as a consultant for The Tartan Group in Victoria for the past year, completing media relations evaluation client reports. She also volunteers for CPRS Vancouver’s 2008-2009 Student Committee, and created and maintains Facebook groups for CPRS Vancouver and CPRS Vancouver Students.

Jenn honed her community relations experience working as a coordinator for 2010 Legacies Now on the Connecting Communities Tour. She loves the power of social media, and how it can be applied to a corporate setting. Jenn is looking forward to an exciting career in communications after graduating from Kwantlen’s Public Relations Diploma in June.

Sarah Hawkins graduated as an honour roll student of the Kwantlen Polytechnic University public relations program. Previously, Sarah attended Langara College and graduated with a diploma in general studies and achieved a 4.2 GPA. Sarah currently does communications in the local music recording industry and hopes to further pursue a career in music entertainment. Skills that Sarah specializes in include writing, social media networking, design, internal and external communications. Other than pursuing education, Sarah has had the opportunity to experience travelling. In addition to Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Mexico, Sarah has been to Italy, Switzerland and all across British Columbia. Sarah’s personal interests include music, nutrition, exercise, and wine.

Meet Carling-a recent graduate of the Public Relations Diploma Program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Before deciding which educational road to take, she travelled parts of the world that opened those brown eyes to see the things she needed and loved the most: people and communicating. It may seem like a simple road, but it’s not over for Carling yet. She wants to help others communicate by using her own creativity while bringing out the creativity in others. It’s about passion. It’s about people. It’s about coming up with ideas that are unique, but that people get. She’s a visual communicator, who understands words aren’t enough for everyone. Where to next? Contact Carling to find out.

Candace Jones is currently completing her second year at Kwantlen Polytechnic University where she will receive her diploma in Public Relations. Upon receiving her diploma her goal is to start a career in event planning or corporate communications, areas which have been of the most interest to her. Through her schooling she has realized her skills and passion revolve around event planning, writing, and design, and hopes to use these learned skills in her future careers. Candace is currently looking forward to her work experience and learning useful skills that combined with her schooling will lead her into a successful post University career.

Jamil Karim entered the Kwantlen Public Relations Diploma Program straight out of high school in 2007, and was a consistent honour student throughout his time in the program. Karim graduated in 2009 and is eager to explore and experience the field of communications to its fullest. Karim’s interests include sports, music, and the environment, as he one day hopes to see the world become a greener and more eco-friendly place. His love for sports has seen him play soccer and volleyball competitively for over fifteen years in the community and coach both sports at his high school. Karim has always loved to work with people of all ages, especially children, as he is currently working at a daycare helping the kids learn the basics of reading, writing, and socializing. Karim looks forward to making a difference in the world, through the art of communication.

Brent “Ben” Kubara is currently attending Royal Roads University and is enrolled in the Bachelors of Arts Degree in Professional Communications. He is excited for the vast opportunities that the degree will provide and hopes to launch his career in the corporate sector. He is planning to move to Calgary and seeks employment at an Albertan Oil and Gas Company after completion of his degree. Brent graduated from the Public Relations Diploma program on the President’s Honour Roll and he has enjoyed the last two years of his educational experience very much, especially the many wonderful friends that he has made. In his spare time Brent enjoys attending and joining in the local Vancouver nightlife, socializing with friends, traveling, and snowboarding. Brent currently loves the change of pace of life in Victoria, and anxiously awaits the completion of his education in order move on to bigger and better things.

Her academic career, wanderlust, and love for the outdoors brought this native German to Canada. There, Karin Lornsen continued her reputation as an accomplished student, pursuing her Ph.D. in literature at the University of British Columbia. However, she soon came to notice that the academic ivory tower was not for her. So she turned to the mysterious ‘world of spin’ (aka Public Relations) that she had always felt very close to. During her academic career, she had the chance to develop an impressive portfolio including a wide range of writing pieces. Among others, she worked in employee communications at SIEMENS and media relations at LONDON DRUGS. After graduating, she hopes to exceed in the exciting world of PR agencies. Oh, and if she finds the time to pry herself from her full plate of work, Karin laces on her running shoes and trains for her first half marathon.

After graduating from Kwantlen Polytechnic University as a member of the President’s Honour Roll and with a GPA of 4.18, Angela decided to attend Royal Roads University. She is currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts, Professional Communications Degree Program. Excited by the many possibilities presented to her through this degree, Angela is looking forward to a career in the corporate world. She has yet to decide what specific area she will work in upon graduation, but is looking forward to the many areas public relations and communications offer. Working with people has always been a passion for Angela and this is reflected by her work experience in many areas of customer service. Expanding her knowledge is very important to her as she loves reading material from all genres. Angela loves the Vancouver nightlife and experiencing it with her friends. Victoria has offered Angela a change of pace which she is very much enjoying and she cannot wait to start her profession in the public relations and communications field.

With a unique skill set born from an eclectic professional, educational and athletic background, Tristan Packer was thrilled to enter Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Public Relations department and finally direct his talents towards an exciting career. Tristan played CIS Football at Bishops University in Quebec and remains an avid sports fan. With over 10 year’s experience, Tristan is a veteran of the restaurant industry and, as well as athletics, is a hobbyist in the kitchen. While Media and Crisis Communications are his focus, adaptability and determination will assure him a successful future, regardless of where he lands.

Bryn Silver was born in New Westminster but was raised in Parksville on Vancouver Island. She traveled across North America, Mexico and New Zealand with her family growing up which built her passion for meeting new people and living in a constantly evolving environment. After graduating from Ballenas Secondary School in June 2006, she moved to Vancouver and started to pursue studies in journalism. After attending BCIT Univeristy and Langara College for a year, focusing on broadcast journalism, she decided to change her career path and enrolled in Kwantlen Polytechinc University’s Public Relations Diploma Program. Come graduation in April 2009, Bryn hopes to continue traveling while event planning and writing for an agency, and one day hopes to own her own public relations firm. Bryn has worked in the hospitality industry for over five years holding positions that include server, spa coordinator and hostess all which have strengthened her love of communications. Bryn’s general interests include snowboarding, hiking, traveling and cooking.

PR Professional is a career title that Alyssa Smith has always coveted and in April of 2009, that title will be hers. Alyssa will be graduating from Kwantlen Polytechnic University with her diploma in Public Relations and looks forward to a dynamic career in the field.

Alyssa feels that while there are many directions she could take within the industry, crisis communications and stakeholder relations is where she feels the most passion. Alyssa is always up for a challenge, and working in the restaurant industry for the past five years, she feels that crisis communication is something that will utilize her developed skills in fast-paced and ever-changing atmospheres.

The things that fill Alyssa’s life are many but enjoying a good book with a nice glass of wine can be found at the top. She finds that living in Vancouver is also something that keeps her busy as the city offers so much in the way of culture, scenery and of course, shopping.

Shannon Smith entered the Kwantlen Public Relations Program straight out of high school in September 2007, after being inspired to do so by her grade 12 English teacher. Having worked in the retail industry for four years, Shannon decided to follow a career path centered around people. Always inspired by writing, design and communications, Shannon is confident about entering the public relations industry following the completion of the program. After gaining a strong sense of the different sectors in the industry, Shannon feels compelled to follow her dream of working for a high profile public relations agency that will put her in the media spotlight.

Christine Tseng had always wanted to apply her interest in words and visuals in her future, but never knew where and how to apply them. It wasn’t until she came across the Public Relations program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University that she decided to focus her skills down this path. Since being in the program, she has been introduced to many different routes that she can continue to harness and apply her interests and abilities.

Christine grew up in the suburbs of Delta, B.C., so she’s not quite a city girl nor is she quite a country girl, but she is somewhere in between. She is curious to see and taste other parts of the world, but believes she will always find herself back in the place she has learned to love the most: Vancouver.

Daniela Vanderliek is currently completing her second year in the Public Relations program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University where she will receive her diploma. She plans to pursue her Public Relations career after completion and is interested in the corporate side of the business. Her true passion lies in writing, design and event planning and she wishes to incorporate all those aspects of Public relations into her professional career. Daniela has had previous experience in leadership roles as a Manager of an outdoor recreational facility, where she was able to gain experience as well as exercise the knowledge she has in the Public Relation field. Daniela is excited for the opportunities the future has in store, and is confident in her ability and skill to work in the industry.

Alexandra Verzuh has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Victoria. She loves to travel and has lived in many parts of the world. Alex grew up in New Zealand and embarked on a European journey after high school. She lived in Switzerland where she attended school and worked for the Canadian High Commission in Sri Lanka in the immigration department. Today, Alex has many communication skills to offer. She is trained in media relations, professional writing, design, issues and crisis management, marketing, advertising, presentation skills, computer/web skills and other areas. She is a lover of the arts and currently works with people with developmental disabilities who she supports and holds various educational programs with. She has lots of communication related experience through jobs and volunteer work over the years and enjoys watching foreign films, supporting positive change and cruising art shows in her spare time.

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