Joanna McKamey, BBA '08 -- Sharing Career Success

A chance encounter with Kamloops girls at a hostel in Australia introduced Joanna McKamey to the Interior city. After returning from her travels, this Port Coquitlam native visited Kamloops. Ever since, she has been captivated by the city and its people.

And her affection extends whole heartedly to Thompson Rivers University, for McKamey believes she learnt invaluable lessons at TRU that prepared her well for the work world. “I love the city and I love that school!” McKamey enthuses. “I couldn’t have gotten the education I received anywhere else.”

An early introductory course in Human Resources redirected her studies into the field, which she chose as her major in the Bachelor of Business Administration program. In some of her courses, she was able to supplement the classroom learning with work experience on community projects.

McKamey found that her education grew in both expected and unexpected ways. As she expected, the theory and law courses she took are applicable in the workplace. However, she’s surprised how much some of the courses she did not appreciate at the time—such as business writing—have also proved to be very important at work.

Other very useful lessons were ones that she did not know she was learning at the time. For instance, she recalls, “I thought working on teams for school projects was impractical. But now I’m in a situation where I’m not the only player, and I coordinate and collaborate with others constantly.” Also of importance were the opportunities she had to build professional relationships, especially through the community projects.

The combination of classroom instruction and project work provided what she calls “invaluable lessons. How many students get to be in contact with business people and potential employers while still in school?”

McKamey also credits the expertise and generosity of the Human Resource faculty at TRU for both the quality of her education and her early success on the job. She says, “They are willing to reach out and help and stay involved.”

McKamey appreciated the willingness of TRU faculty, particularly Richard Roy and Len Hutt, to support her even after graduation. Hired for a challenging position, she found being able to call Roy and Hutt for guidance a great help as she learnt how to translate her education into real-work-world decisions and actions.

“I believe the unique thing that sets TRU apart from other institutions is the smaller, more hands-on classroom environment. I had the opportunity to build relationships with my professors and peers, and I valued learning in an environment that fostered an “open-door” approach to education.” Excited as she continues to learn and grow through work, McKamey is grateful to the School of Business and Economics for providing her with a solid education from which to move onto career success.

Originally published in SoBE Notes, April 2011