Throughout my degree in New Media, I have learned and adapted to approach communications not only as a free, creative practice, but as a tool for connection, sustainability, and meaningful engagement with peers and audiences. My time specifically focusing on New Media has opened my understanding of connecting with people, places, and ideas. Thanks to these learning outcomes I have been able to establish key career goals and intents for my future in the growing world of digital media and communication. My goals involve the opportunity to work in one of three areas: Digital Media and Content Strategy, Start-ups and Entrepreneurial Roles, and Advocacy Communications. All three of these areas incorporate brand storytelling across platforms, overseeing audience growth, blending creativity with strategy, building messaging from the ground up, and leading public engagement. These are all areas in which I am confident I could fit comfortably and become an ideal communicator.
Originally from the United Kingdom and now living in British Columbia as a permanent resident, my perspective has been shaped by travel, cultural exchange, and hands-on learning experiences both inside and outside of Canada and the UK. This includes opportunities like completing my internship and branding work for the Canadian Icelandic Horse Federation (CIHF) and traveling to Iceland for more hands-on work. Outside of travel and alongside my academic work, I have consistently balanced employment, most recently in the wine industry over the past 2 years where I have supported customer engagement and learned the importance of promoting sustainable farming practices through valuable interpersonal communication skills and online platforms. These experiences have strengthened my ability to communicate with diverse audiences and reinforced the importance of clarity and visual engagement in effective communication styles.
The accumulation of academic, personal, and professional experiences aimed towards my career goals is best demonstrated through my four portfolio pieces. Specifically, I draw attention to three: a communication plan I created for Monte Creek Winery, a geography research poster, and a logo created for the CIHF. All three exemplify Thompson Rivers University’s Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILO’s).
The communication plan developed for Monte Creek in my Advanced Professional Communications class looks at making domestic traveling cheaper for young Canadians while also keeping sustainability at the forefront. The plan highlights that by offering affordable domestic travel options for young Canadians, Monte Creek Winery is not only benefiting themselves by creating stronger customer connections and brand loyalty, but the winery will also be offering these benefits to the rest of Kamloops as it draws young travellers into the city. This plan connects directly to both “Connection”; offering proper communication skills to a range of audiences, and “Engagement”; offering an understanding of social responsibility, sustainability, and ethical behaviours from TRU’s ILOs.
The geography poster was completed by myself and one other groupmate, though I took the lead in the project and took on the role of compiling all our information and creating an effective, communicative poster containing the research. This research project examined how 100 Mile House amplifies Sustainable Development Goals 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 15 (Life on Land) by promoting its community-based tourism and responsible land-practices, presenting how rural areas can significantly contribute to global sustainability. This project connects directly to TRU’s “Exploration” ILO by demonstrating critical thinking and investigation through creative research.
And finally, a logo created as a contestant to represent the CIHF. This is what I would describe as my passion project. I still look back on this project today and like to think of it as where my interest in digital communication and media began. There were many components and details that had to be incorporated into this logo so that it could represent Canada, Iceland, the Icelandic horse and the federation as best as possible. I had a lot of conversations back and forth with the chair of the CIHF to make sure both cultures were being represented properly while keeping the horse at the forefront. Two years after completing the logo I had the opportunity to travel across Iceland on horseback, and this amplified my respect for the animal and its origin country, growing my intercultural awareness and how important it is to capture such an element within visual communication. This project best connects back to TRU’s ILO of “Local-to-Global”, recognizing and respecting the value of diverse cultures and worldviews within visual and digital communication.