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International Alumni Reception
New to her role as Bow Valley College’s alumni engagement specialist, Veronica Mendoza De Luna was very excited that her first big event – the International Alumni Reception held in June and hosted with the International Office – was well attended and enjoyed.
“Our alumni enrich our community with their diverse knowledge, experience, and talents,” she says. “In my role, my vision is to build a supportive alumni community where we can share, connect, and grow together.”
And that’s what happened during the reception. Almost 50 new graduates and alumni gathered to network and enjoy live music and refreshments.
“The event gives International alumni the chance to connect to the community where it all started,” says Nabila Barakat, learner engagement & communications specialist for the International department.
Veronica and Nabila chose to have as a featured topic, how alumni can transfer the skills they learned at Bow Valley College and in other phases of their lives to be successful in their careers.
Alumni heard from keynote speaker, International alumni Trinh Tran (Business Administration, 2013), Senior Risk Advisor at the Calgary Board of Education. She spoke about how in her job she uses the skills she learned at Bow Valley College, such as communication, critical thinking and problem solving, research, teamwork, and public speaking.
“The alumni had a real connection with Trinh,” says Nabila. “She is one of them, she’s humble, and she’s successful in her career, as they hope to be, too.”
In their feedback, her audience told the organizers that it was helpful to learn how the speaker used her own transferable skills to embark on a new journey to get a good position and grow her professional career.
Beyond the networking, music, and Trinh’s constructive presentation, the International Alumni Reception hosted the annual awards ceremony for International students. Eight awards were distributed.
At the end, the International Alumni Reception was a big success. Plans are already in place for next year event.
The International Alumni Reception was sponsored by The Personal General Insurance Inc.
