Liz Test

June 27, 2021

Good morning everyone, and thank you for joining us for our second Elevating Laurier Leaders event this year.

Before we begin, I would first like to thank the Laurier alumni relations team for organizing this event, as well as our panelists for taking time out of their busy schedules to share their knowledge and experience with us today.

The topic for today’s event is - Career Pivots: Reinventing Yourself in an Ever-Changing World.

This topic is highly relevant, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has affected every one of us.

In some ways, we’ve all had to reconsider, reflect, and even reinvent ourselves, whether professionally, personally, or both.

· What we’ve learned is how fast our world can change in many unanticipated ways.

· And just as life isn’t linear, neither are careers.

· The average Canadian changes jobs over 15 times throughout their career. Some of these changes are brought on due to external events beyond our control, others are because we’re seeking new personal and professional challenges, or seizing an opportunity.

· At Laurier, we recognize that people are lifelong learners, who need education and training throughout their working lives.

· A current focus for the university is the creation of micro-credentials, which are shorter courses designed for those who are mid-career and looking to fill knowledge gaps or explore new opportunities.

· These micro-credentials are one way we at Laurier are re-imagining how learning at a university level can be attained as people juggle personal and professional commitments, potentially supporting career changes, big and small.

· I’m excited to be hosting today’s speakers, who are here to share with us their stories of their own career pivots.

· While I have moved a number of times for work or educational opportunities, the largest career pivot I took was to move into university administration from that of a faculty member. For me, the motivator was to be in a position to make aspirational opportunities for students, faculty and staff, along with institutional partnerships, happen at scale.

· I am delighted to welcome today’s speakers to hear about their own career pivots and journeys.

· I am joined by Michele Bush, Pam Fanjoy, Rachel Gainer and Anushila Shaw.

· Michele has her Bachelor of Arts and a Post-Graduate Business Diploma from Laurier. She is a Career Transition Specialist, Co-Founder of ElevatingHR and an HR Advisor to small businesses. Michele is a sought-after career coach, trainer & speaker, and she loves her newfound hobbies of acting and improv, and hiking the Bruce Trail from end to end.

· Pam Fanjoy has her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Social Work from Laurier who has more than 25 years of experience as a clinical social work AND is an award-winning chef. Chef Pam work with youth and families sparked the creation of the Fanjoy Junior Chef programs, the centerpiece of the Fanjoy Culinary & Counselling Centre opening later this year in Guelph.

Rachel has her MA from Laurier. Almost five years ago she took a leap and moved her family from Guelph to Seattle, Washington for an exciting opportunity at Amazon after having worked at Blackberry in user engagement and the Tamarack Institute as director of engagement. She is currently the Manager of the Alexa Beta Program Team.

Anushila has her BBA from Laurier and attended law school in the United States. She worked as an attorney at two major law firms in New York before making the leap to pursue her passion in art and photography. Anushila is now a portrait and fashion photographer Brooklyn. Anushila is inspired by her travels, exploring cultures and politics, and her work reflects her unique and varied interests and experiences.

A warm welcome to our panelists, and to all of you.