Education/training
Recent grad finds her dream jobHow long would you expect a college graduate to take to make her mark in the world? Five years? Ten? How about four months? Liz Benneian |
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 [ 2005-10-26 ] |
Scarborough native Wanita Lambert realized her dream of becoming a program co-ordinator for a non-profit organization in only a few short months after completing her International Business program at Centennial College.
Today, she is the corporate account co-ordinator, National and Ontario, for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario.
Although Lambert has been in her role only a short time, this fast-learning self-starter has already played an important part in making one of the Heart and Stroke Foundation's biggest fundraisers successful.
The Big Bike For Stroke cross-country event involves a bicycle built for 30 riders. As it visits 200 communities in nine provinces during its six-month journey, the goal is to collect $7 million dollars for research into reducing disability and death from heart disease and stroke.
As the corporate account manager, Lambert's goal was to raise $80,000 for the Scarborough Chapter. The stretch goal she set for herself was $85,000.
What she actually reached was just over $90,000. It was the first time in the history of the chapter's fund-raising that such a large amount was collected with the help of businesses within the community.
In charge of recruitment, stewardship, recognition and customer service for the event, Lambert was able to put into practice a lot of what she learned from her Centennial courses on marketing, personal selling and organizational behaviour.
"I really had to implement effective time-management skills, as well as display a great deal of leadership -- not only for the volunteers I managed but also for my peers," she says. One of the most valuable lessons she learned is how necessary it is to be flexible and to be able to multi-task.
Lambert's college program provided paid co-operative education opportunities, which were invaluable in securing a job upon graduation and successfully fulfilling her new role.
During co-op placements with Margold Industries in North York, she learned how to develop new business for the company by utilizing different marketing and sales strategies. Lambert also put into practice data-collection skills and had the opportunity to employ customer retention strategies.
On co-op placement with Rogers AT&T Wireless, she was able to practise her administrative, communication and project management skills.
Although busy with school and co-op placements, Lambert made time to give back to her community by volunteering with Tropicana Community Services, a 25-year-old, not-for-profit organization focusing on the needs of youth and the Caribbean and Black communities in east Toronto.
Tropicana provides counselling and other support programs that have an enduring positive impact in building a healthier community by enhancing self-reliance and self-worth.
Having hands-on, real-world experience -- both paid and volunteer -- gave Lambert an edge when she entered the competitive job market immediately after graduating in June.
For a young woman who enjoys co-ordinating and managing projects, developing and implementing new ideas, she found her dream job with astonishing speed. Lambert is eagerly awaiting whatever new challenges come her way as she moves forward at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario.
For more details about Centennial's business programs, visit: www.centennialcollege.ca/business.
Would you ever work for a social or charitable enterprise in the third sector?