Academic News

The following are responses from Jennifer Thompson, a 2009 graduate of Tourism Management.

Where do you work and what’s your current position?

I’m the Director of Events and Catering at the Winnipeg Football Club.

What are three career steps you’ve taken since graduating from Red River College?

1. Upon completing the Hospitality and Tourism Management Program at Red River College, I applied and took a position with Walt Disney World as a Cultural Representative at the Canadian Pavilion in Epcot. This was a one-year position based on the type of US work visa that I had.
2. Following my position with Walt Disney World, I had a desire to remain with the company and applied for a position with Disney Cruise Lines. Upon being hired with Disney Cruise Lines I started as a Guest Services Representative and was rapidly promoted working in positions as Guest Service Systems Coordinator, Groups and Events Manager, Guest Relations Manager and Concierge Manager.
3. Upon leaving Disney Cruise Lines, I spent a few months in South Africa before returning home where I was hired with the Winnipeg Football Club as a Catering and Events Manager. Approaching nearly five years with the Winnipeg Football Club, my role has changed and expanded significantly to where I am currently the Director of Events and Catering, managing such areas as stadium events, catering, premium game day service, community relations, game day entertainment and halftime.

What’s a highlight of your professional life after graduation?

A highlight was my time with Disney Cruise Lines. When I first started with them, I was out of my comfort zone doing something completely foreign and new to me. I quickly fell in love with working on cruise ships. I loved working for an amazing company who taught me so much and what customer service really is and I cherish the time with them that allowed me to travel and see the world.

How did your time at Red River College help you achieve your goals?

Above anything else, I think that the program gave me confidence. Through the classes, it gave me the knowledge to feel confident in my abilities, and what I could bring to the industry.

The following are responses from Jamie Kerslake, a 2009 graduate of Hotel and Restaurant Management.

Where do you work and what’s your current position?

I’m the Lead Planner with Madeline’s Weddings & Events.

What are three career steps you’ve taken since graduating from Red River College?

1. Took the Wedding Planning Institute of Canada course to become a Certified Planner.
2. I continued working at Bridge’s Golf Course (where I did my co-op) and familiarized myself with all of the décor and planners in the city to determine who I wanted to apply for .
3. I approached Madeline’s Weddings & Events and was hired based off the experience they had with me at Bridges.

What’s a highlight of your professional life after graduation?

Madeline’s Weddings & Events was nominated for and won the top choice award for Event Planner of the Year! This award is voted on by our industry peers and past clients, so it felt amazing to be not only be nominated but to also win!

How did your time at Red River College help you achieve your goals?

I use the skills I attained in school on a regular basis! I was hired at Bridge’s Golf Course because of my serving and bartending skills and I was promoted there because of my leadership skills. I was promoted at Madeline’s Weddings from Assistant Coordinator to Lead Coordinator within my first season because I had the knowledge and skills to troubleshoot & stay calm in a stressful situation and speak confidently and give direction to a group of people. All of these skills I learned or mastered during my time at Red River College.

The following are responses from Hayley McMurray, a 2014 graduate of Hotel and Restaurant Management.

Where do you work and what’s your current position?

I’m the Front of House Manager at Marion Street Eatery.

What are three career steps you’ve taken since graduating from Red River College?

1. My first big career step was accepting a position at Walt Disney World for my second co-op program. I grew as a server in a fine dining restaurant, plus was encouraged to think outside of the box when it came to “creating magical moments” for guests.
2. My second step was accepting my first managerial position at Marion Street Eatery. The Eatery was the perfect place to take this step as it was run by two strong females who also attended to Red River College and were willing to help me learn. The Eatery is all about providing comfort to guests and I’ve immensely enjoyed being in this type of setting. Being a smaller company, I get to really connect with the tight-knit staff and take on a lot of different responsibilities.
3. The third step would be the continued education I have done with Manitoba Tourism Education Council. I’ve been able to take away lessons from each class there and apply them to my position within the Eatery.

What’s a highlight of your professional life after graduation?

My biggest highlight is gaining the manager position at Marion Street Eatery. I never expected to get into a manager role as soon as I did after school. I was very appreciative to have gotten the chance to grow and prove myself as a leader. Plus, it’s a very positive work environment.

How did your time at Red River College help you achieve your goals?

Of course everything I learnt from all of my classes and instructors at the College has helped me move forward in my career. But the biggest aid I’ve gotten from the school is through the networking they provide. My goal of becoming a manager came faster than expected as it was an instructor who got me the interview with Marion Street Eatery, and I’m forever grateful! Also, by still keeping in touch with RRC now, I fell I still get to network and connect with multiple people in the industry. The College itself creates a great community.

The following are responses from Crystal Seman, a 2010 graduate of Hotel and Restaurant Management.

Where do you work and what’s your current position?

I’m the Sales Administrator for Tourism Winnipeg, a division of Economic Development Winnipeg.

What are three career steps you’ve taken since graduating from Red River College?

1. The skill set from experience and the hands-on education I received from RRC allowed me to excel by advancing in my first job after graduation to a newly created position that encompassed social media and online reputation management. I quickly began to manage the hotel’s online reputation through channels such as TripAdvisor and other online booking and review sites. My work in this area created a voice for my employer to be able to respond to and manage online reviews, increasing our online hotel rating across many platforms and applications.
   Completed three month Hotel Revenue Management Certificate program through eCornell (Cornell University’s online platform).
2. I was selected to be part of the brand’s national revenue management team for Catering Services, reporting on and assisting the Director of Conference Services and the Catering team to meet and exceed revenue goals while consistently placing top five properties in the company for forecast accuracy.
3. Moving to Tourism Winnipeg, I am able to put my experience and education to work again as I support our Sales Team in attracting large conventions and special events to the city. Having the hospitality and revenue management experience I am a strong asset to Economic Development Winnipeg  in supporting not only our sales and management teams, but also our local members and partners.

What’s a highlight of your professional life after graduation?

Working at our city’s DMO and having the ability to advocate for and liaison with the local tourism industry. Working with previous employers and my own industry mentors together to promote our city and our tourism assets to clients around the world.

How did your time at Red River College help you achieve your goals?

I started my education at RRC as a mature student. The level of professional education, mentorship, and support far exceeded my high expectations. The instructors are truly experts in their field, they all have real-life experience on top of their teaching backgrounds. Many were also graduates of the very same program, which shows the success of the program has not only been long standing, but the passion and life-long dedication to learning has brought these industry professionals back to Red River College.

Hospitality started as an interest for me and Red River College gave me the foundation to grow from. Hospitality has become a true passion of mine and I attribute that to the strong start I received at Red River College. Now working at our city’s destination marketing organization, I could not think of a more fitting position for me to use my skills, education, and experience to play a crucial part in promoting our city to increase visitation, develop long-term tourism strategies, and support our local tourism industry.

The following are responses from Carson Robertson, a 2011 graduate of Hotel and Restaurant Management.

Where do you work and what’s your current position?

I’m an Account Executive for Marriott Canada Account Sales.

What are three career steps you’ve taken since graduating from Red River College?

1. Once I received the two-year diploma from Red River College I decided to continue my education at Ryerson University in Hospitality and Business Management – Graduated from Ryerson in June 2013.
2. Six months after graduating I received a job as a Sales Coordinator at Starwood Hotels in the sales cluster office which looked after four Toronto-based properties. Within three years, I had moved from coordinator to Sales Specialist to then Sales Manager!
3. In 2017, the Marriott/Starwood merger went through and I had the amazing opportunity to move to the Canadian Marriott Sales Office in Toronto, now selling seven properties across downtown Toronto! After eight months, I moved into my current position looking after over 40 accounts for our Marriott Hotels across Canada.

What’s a highlight of your professional life after graduation?

When I graduated from Red River College in 2013, I had described my ideal future job to my teachers, which was a position in sales and the position I have now is exactly what I described. Looking back at my ‘short’ time in the hospitality industry, I am so proud of where I am now.

How did your time at Red River College help you achieve your goals?

Red River College was a vital step to get me to where I am now. The unique Hospitality/Tourism program they offered sparked my love for hospitality and set me on a path for success. Their partnership with other universities allowed me to continue my education and follow my career goals.

For term two of Community Older Adults Clinical, a group of students were at Windsor Park Place; however, due to the pandemic, clinical practice has required some modifications and creativity. Since students had very limited site visits, they had to rely on other means to identify health needs in the community. The tenant resource coordinator for the building was very helpful in providing a list of ideas for the public health education topics based on needs she identified in this building, and students choose the topic “Nutrition: Diabetes and Healthy Heart” in term one, which included providing the chef at the building with a recipe booklet, and “Staying Physically and Mentally Active”, for the second term, since this topic is very relevant to the current situation, with many tenants being isolated and with a lack of activities, both physically and mentally.

Students also conducted a windshield survey, which consisted of driving around the area and looking up some statistics and community resources online. In term two, students identified two areas of concern. First, there are no big box stores (such as Superstore, Sobeys, or Walmart) near Windsor Park Place, and secondly, students noted a lack of road signs pertaining to speed limits in the area. In conversation with some local residents who were out walking during this assignment, students found out that they are concerned about speeding in the area. One sign was also occluded by tree branches. Students discussed ways to help address these issues and made some phone calls. They then wrote a letter to the local MP, expressing their concern for safety due to speeding in the area, advocating for proper signage, repositioning of the obstructed sign and a crosswalk on Elizabeth Road. Additionally, students made a brochure to inform the tenants at Windsor Park Place about grocery stores, transportation, medical services, government services and some other relevant services in the area.

Post by Janet Zacharias – Nursing Instuctor

If you live in the Portage la Prairie or Winkler area and are interested in learning more about our Bachelor of Nursing program, register for our upcoming online information session.

The session takes place March 22 from 6-8pm and will cover admission requirements, how to apply, and general information about the BN program.

This Bachelor of Nursing program takes place at the Portage Campus, Portage la Prairie, MB and Winkler Campus, Winkler, MB. Seats are open to residents of Manitoba’s Southern Health Region only.

Register today!

During the code red public health orders throughout Manitoba this January 2021, second year Red River College Nursing students in their Health Promotion of the Older Adult Community rotation had to “think outside the box”.

Their goal is to connect with the older adult population to promote health and wellness. They also collaborate with the Healthy Aging Resource Teams in Winnipeg, community centers, My Health Teams, or other Older Adult resources within the community. During the pandemic, students connect via the telephone with volunteer members of the community where students assess health needs, provide teaching sessions, and practice therapeutic communication.

A challenge that this group of students met head on is “how to promote health as a public education event in a pandemic at a population level”. This group of students collaborated with the Elmwood/East Kildonan Active Living Seniors Centre to hold a “Facebook Live” event on Wellness, Mindfulness, and Optimism. Eight students participated in the thirty minute presentation geared to the over 240 members of the active living community center. To view the presentation just visit the site: Elmwood East Kildonan Active Living Centre page. This is a great example of how Red River College faculty and students are striving to adapt to this unprecedented situation and contribute to the well-being of our older adult population.

Some student reflection on this learning experience:

“Although I was very nervous to be presenting online for so many to see, it was a great experience, and I was happy we were still able to deliver some health education to that community during the unforeseen circumstances of a pandemic.” Samantha Harvie SNRRC

“The Facebook Live event was a creative way to reach out to older adults in the community. The experience gave me and my clinical group the chance to collaborate together while we navigated a new platform to present to older adults.” Madison Macaulay, SNRRC

“My first time doing a Facebook Live for a class was a great experience. As a student nurse learning how to maneuver in the community in a safe manner was a struggle because of all the extra precautions we had to take to limit physical contact. A lot of nursing is hands on or in person; doing a Facebook Live event was a great new way to reach the community and provide care to those who watched. We were able to get a positive message across in a pandemic safe way.” Alyssa Rasmussen, SNRRC

“It was nice to connect with the older adult population in this COVID 19 pandemic time. It gave both of us a purpose of looking forward to communicating with each other.” Megan Small, SNRRC

This clinical experience is constantly adapting to help Red River College Bachelor of Nursing students meet the needs of the older adult community through collaboration and adapting. Students are inspired and motivated through the unique experiences.

Post written by Bonnie Peers and Tracey McCulloch – Nursing Instructors

The biggest thing I learned in the Business Administration program wasn’t any one particular course or skill. It wasn’t economics or digital marketing or consumer behaviour. Rather, my biggest takeaway was learning a business mindset.

Through real world experiences, challenging problems to solve, teamwork, and personal instruction, I found myself building a foundation. I began forming an attitude that looks for opportunities, gathers resources, mobilizes others, and takes action—even when results aren’t guaranteed. This was especially true in the entrepreneurship course, where I helped to lead a team in creating a business plan from start to finish.

The real test, however, was to see if this newly acquired business mindset would work in the outside world. I’m thankful that it did, as I started a dream job in my field just three days after taking my final exam. This foundation built at Red River College enabled me to start off strong in the workplace, and it’s been serving me well since then.

To any prospective business student, I encourage you to jump into the program with both feet. Dig in and make the most of your experiences, the wisdom of your instructors, and the opportunities you’re given. This season of learning is just the beginning for you.

My name is Stephany Opyc and if I were asked to describe my two-year journey through the Business Administration program in one word, it would be, ‘success.’ Graduating in the Spring of 2019 with honors through the Marketing stream wasn’t my only success story. From becoming a successful tutor in Business Computing to working on a marketing communications proposal through the Applied Projects course, my stay at Red River College was more than just graduating with a diploma.

The classrooms at the Notre Dame Campus were full of relevant and current material that I now use every day in my current marketing position. While the course material and textbooks have provided me with a great deal of my business knowledge, the credit must also be shared with my amazing instructors at the College. These instructors are more than teachers, but mentors who coached, educated, and taught me course material. In fact, some of the most valuable lessons I took away from RRC were taught under Harv Mock and Janine Carmichael, two very passionate and knowledgeable instructors who made a very positive impact on me, in more ways than one, during my stay.

Some of the most memorable and largest takeaways were through the opportunities provided outside the classroom. One of which that was particularly influential was through the Business Solutions Team. This applied learning volunteer program allowed me to take the textbook knowledge that I gained from the classroom and apply it to real-world situations. Our incredible team of 10 developed a comprehensive business plan for a group of Manitoba investors and was the best experience I was proud to be apart of at the college. Additionally, the reference letter from the investors made a strong influence on the hiring decision of my current employer.

My Journey at Red River College has been one of the best decisions I have made for myself as a growing individual and I am proud to be a graduate of the program. I have learned a great deal from all my courses and my instructors; however, the additional opportunities offered outside the classroom were some of the best learning experiences I was honored to be apart of. If you are considering taking the Business Administration program, remember that it is more than just a diploma, it is a success story.