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Tiffany Tunstead |
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"I think people who know me would describe me as outgoing
and very personable," says Tunstead, 21. "I will pretty
much talk to anyone."
Being a very social person, Tunstead
was always involved in organizing activities and fundraisers at her high school,
which led
her to consider a career in event planning.
Initially, she was going to study English and history
in university but just before post-secondary school
applications were due, she changed her mind completely.
Instead, she applied to Humber, Seneca and Centennial
for general hospitality and tourism programs and to
George Brown College for Special Events Planning.
"George
Brown was close, it had what I wanted to do and I could
see myself moving into other fields from this program
like marketing
or human resources," Tunstead says of her decision
to go to George Brown. "I also had to pay my own way
through school so it was
either go to university and have lots of debt or go
to college and have less debt."
During the two-year
program, she also worked full-time as an assistant manager
at a retail store in order
to pay for tuition, rent and other living expenses.
It was a challenge trying to juggle
both but she has no regrets.
"Working full-time and going to school really helped
me learn to balance and manage my time."
She also discovered
that she not only enjoyed managing people and tasks but
she was good at it — a skill she will continue
to use as she moves forward in her event planning career.
She may not recommend working full-time unless absolutely
necessary but she does advise students to load up on
experience in their field while they are in school,
whether it be part-time work or volunteering.
"That
way you will have something to put on your resumé. Most
places in the event industry are looking for people
who have experience in the field," says Tunstead. "In
event planning, it's
all about who you know."
In fact, it was through a friend
that she found her current job as an executive assistant
at Kaboose Inc.,
a large independent online media company. Kaboose.ca
is a family-friendly website offering entertaining
and educational experiences. The company's mission
is to improve connections between parents and their
children during
time spent together both online and offline.
Tunstead
enjoys her work but says managing the schedules of
two busy vice presidents can be very stressful
and hectic at times. She credits her program for
teaching her important job skills like communication,
time management and teamwork to help her cope with
the daily grind.
"Now that I am in the workplace, I use a lot of
what I learned from George Brown in my day-to-day work,"
says Tunstead. "I
really enjoyed what the College had to offer; I
would definitely recommend this program."
We encourage you to visit the Alumni Association.
Or, contact information the Hospitality & Tourism Alumni association
at:
Hospitality & Tourism Alumni
300 Adelaide St. E.
Toronto, ON M5A 1N1
To learn more, visit the George
Brown College Alumni page.
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