Looking Back

Before I moved to Winnipeg in December 2018, I had a budding marketing communications career in Nigeria. So when I moved here as a resident, my natural career interest was in the field that I was already familiar with. I started to research what skills were required in this market by going through job postings and I observed that while there were similar expectations to my home country, there were some gaps between the skills I had and the skills that were in demand for my job interests.

I decided to return to school to brush up on my existing skills, acquire new ones, learn about the Canadian work environment, meet people with similar or complementary interests, and prepare myself for a successful career. I chose The University of Winnipeg PACE PR, Marketing, and Strategic Communications program because the syllabus is rich, the instructors are seasoned industry professionals, and because of the internship component of the program.

I had a 6-month-old baby at the start of the program and there were moments when juggling the fast pace of PACE (pun intended) with motherhood and settling in a new country felt a little overwhelming, but I had a lot of support from my classmates-turned-friends. We started the program as strangers but it has been interesting to see how 19 people from diverse backgrounds and cultures have bonded and looked out for one another even as we transitioned to remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

My experience at PACE has been nothing short of amazing because of how invested the institution was in our success as students and even now we go on to launch our careers. You can see how intentionally the program is designed, from the composition of the students that make up a class, the class size, the calibre and personalities of the instructors, and the quality of student support which was always available.

I look back now and I’d like to say a big thank you to PACE for the gift of learning, character development, intercultural competence, and most of all the gift of friendship. 

Seun Akinlade enrolled in the PR, Marketing and Strategic Communications Management program in Septermber 2019. She's wrapping up her full-time studies with an internship at the Manitoba Children's Museum.

Photo courtesy of Seun Akinlade.