Lovey Reid is a 2018 graduate of the Bachelor of Public Relations Management, Honours program and has since gone on to become the Event Coordinator and Acting Communications Lead for the Centennial College Student Association (CCSAI). Her experience in the PR program led to Lovey uncovering several important lessons about the industry, which she has since been able to use in her career today.
WHY CENTENNIAL?
One of the sizeable factors that appealed to Lovey about this program was the opportunity to receive a four-year bachelor’s degree, but with “a smaller class size, experienced professors, and many opportunities to gain hands-on career experience,” she explains. “I chose Centennial because it was in the community, welcoming, and offered leadership opportunities and global experiences. I liked the flexible use of what I would be learning… [and] these skills I was refining could be used in any industry.”
KEY LESSONS
Looking back at the program, Lovey shares, “In the program, I learned as a PR Professional, one has to have multiple skills and be well-rounded. With this program's management and business background, you learn to be a corporate [communications] lead, project manager, data analyst, and more. We are not on trick ponies. We learn to become highly skilled, ethical communicators and leaders.” She continues, “Overall, I learned to be a master of one is to be a master of none. Master many crafts, then reassess, rebuild, and improve those skills regularly. Be adaptable, open to change, listen to your audience, and be with them.”
Lovey explains that the program has a strong focus on writing and developing strategic thought quickly, and says she would regularly use real-world case studies, respond to real-life crises, and had opportunities to put into practice the theories and school of thought her class learned. “When you walk into the class, it’s go time. You are an active participant in learning. You are learning through discussion and debate. We brought unique perspectives to the class,” she adds.
FAVOURITE PART OF ATTENDING THE STORY ARTS CENTRE
Lovey emphasizes the parts of the program that existed outside of the classroom, such as working with her classmates to collaborate and study, and the bonds she made as a result. She also points out her co-curricular experience on campus, as she shares, “As an active student leader serving all Centennial Students with the CCSAI, I put my PR skills into practice. While my title had nothing to do with [Communications], my duty was to liaise with students, plan and prepare events, then support their strategic marketing of them to students.”
She was also able to go on a skill development retreat with LeaderShape, where she spent over two weeks in Laikipia, Kenya along with other students, faculty, and College leaders. “We served in the community in Kenya, tended to animals, and studied social justice and globalization theories.”
Experiential learning was also a major part of her experience on campus, as the hands-on, real-world material Lovey engaged in, she says, allowed her to partake in experiences she would have never imagined. “I took my skills into the higher education industry and was empowered as a student,” she explains.
Additionally, Lovey had the opportunity to present to the Centennial College Board of Directors her experience and recommendation to build a diverse leadership experience. She adds that she also was able to attend a Canada-wide conference to represent and advocate for the needs of Centennial students to provincial leaders.
ADVICE FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE PR STUDENTS
Lovey’s advice for PR students is:
- Get involved outside of the classroom. Your degree, diploma or whatever it may be can only get you so far.
- Post-secondary school is a privilege. If you have the privilege to attend, I encourage all students to utilize every single service offered to them, try new things and step into new and unfamiliar roles with the hope of learning and growing as a person and a professional.
- Get involved, serve, and engage your community and step into leadership roles… [as] Centennial provides incredible leadership and career development opportunities. From CCSAI, Enactus, SAGE, CLA, and so much more.
- It would be a disservice to yourself to only experience Centennial within the classroom.
- The global perspective, community, and career opportunities at Centennial holds are incredible. It's just a matter of taking the step beyond the comfort zone into new spaces.
WORKING AT CCSAI
Lovey now works with CCSAI but was initially introduced to a few people involved with CCSAI on campus when she was a student, including the VP and campus director of the Story Arts Centre. “I was first engaged as a Student Ambassador for Centennial - Enrollment services, [and] then I got into LeaderShape. From there, I was empowered, and I decided to apply for the VP of the Story Arts Centre. In this time, a CCSAI staff member and my peers got to know me and told me I may be a better fit for the role of Event Liaison. I took the advice and applied for that role, and little did I know how it would change my life,” she explains.
Partaking in that role, Lovey says, “I wasn’t only engaged from a programming perspective. As a member of the board of directors, I sat in on governance and advocacy meetings [and] I was still able to be an advocate for students from a governance side while also engaging students in fun programming. I loved being a part of CCSAI so much that I’m still here nearly four years later.”
Within her role now as Event Coordinator and Acting Communications Lead, Lovey does the planning, developing, executing, and evaluating student-facing programs, strategically designs an events program to meet the wellness, academic, personal, community and career needs of students, collaborates and partners with Centennial College, markets and promotes all CCSAI offerings, and more.
Lovey also explains that she manages and supports the CCSAI Student Engagement staff team, which she explains, “This is my favourite part of my job. We have a handful of incredible student leaders. With the support of our full-time team, we can mentor, inspire, and provide incredible work-integrated learning opportunities. Our Engagement Staff gain unique and meaningful career experiences. They are absolutely leaders with impactful voices on our team. It’s my pleasure and honour to get to know these students and empower them on their academic journeys.”
A MESSAGE TO STUDENTS
Lovey shares, “You are only limited by what you believe you can do. You are not bound to one thing, your academic program, grades or standing does not define you. Step outside of the box, be an innovator!”
Additionally, Lovey says that it is important to get involved in your community in a meaningful way and spot problems in systems and structures and identify solutions. She adds, “Do not be afraid to fail. I firmly believe in living at the edge of your capabilities. This means, don’t always play it safe, go for the big win, make a splash and have an impact.”
Lovey also adds that it is important to celebrate yourself, your team, your peers, and your supporters. “Share gratitude with yourself and with someone else.”
Congratulations, Lovey, on your continued success!
To read more grad profiles and uncover other great stories happening around the Story Arts Centre campus, check out the latest edition of our Storyteller newsletter.
Article by: Alexandra Few