As a freelance publicist and journalist in the Caribbean, Tracelyn Cornelius had many years of experience in marketing and communications. UWinnipeg PACE's Public Relations, Marketing & Strategic Communication Diploma allowed her to quickly acclimatize to a new job market after moving to Canada.

“After being in management for many years, my skills were becoming dated,” says Tracelyn, who wanted to pursue a new career that would allow her to spend more time with her family.

“PACE helped me to upgrade my skills within a short time. It also taught me to approach job hunting in Canada from a strategic point of view. The résumé writing and interview techniques I learned helped me to stand out to potential employers.”

Tracelyn says the biggest lesson she learned was the need to conduct extensive research before taking on a project. She also appreciated the “real-life” projects she was able to work on. “In our media relations course, we actually had to plan an event and execute it from start to finish. From mopping the floors of the conference room to drafting and disseminating media releases, we received a lot of practical experience.”

Tracelyn is now using the skills she gained at PACE in her current role as a Director, Inclusive Comunications with the University of Waterloo.

Tracelyn Cornelius
Director, Inclusive Comunications
University of Waterloo