EDUCATION

London School of Economics, London, UK | Anticipated 2011

MSc in Politics and Communications

• Courses: Political Communication, Democracy and Media, Media Theories, Research Methods, Statistics, ICT

University of Western Ontario, London, ON | 2005 - 2009

Honours Bachelor of Arts, Specialization in Political Science (Dean’s Honour List)

• Awarded the Academic Excellence Opportunity based on academic achievement
• Awarded Western Scholarship of Distinction for achieving an 94% average from secondary school
• Courses: American Politics, International Relations, International Security, Conflict, and Comparative Politics

University of Western Ontario, London, ON | 2008-2009           

Professional Certificate in Communications and Public Relations

• Specialized courses in Community and Media Relations, Search Engine Optimization, and New Media

 

WORK EXPERIENCE

Polis, London, UK |  2010 - 2011

Polis is a journalism and media society think tank at the London School of Economics aimed as a public forum to examine and discuss the media and its impact on society.

Social Media Web Editor

• Updated website using LSE’s CMS system, Contensis, with latest events, news, and blog posts.
•  Frequently wrote blog articles about events hosted by Polis working with Polis’s director Charlie Beckett
• Managed bi-weekly newsletter using existing listservs and Microsoft Front Page.
• Created and updated Polis’s Twitter and Facebook accounts for Polis and LSE media events

iSport Media and Management, Toronto, ON | 2009 – 2010

iSport Media and Management is an event management, athlete representation, digital strategy and sponsorship company that deals directly with sports governing bodies as well as Olympic and Professional athletes. 

Communications Coordinator

• Managed the digital strategy for Olympic Figure Skater Patrick Chan.  Upon taking on the project, Patrick Chan’s website hits went from 2000 monthly unique visitors to 60,000 in one year. 
• Helped build and manage Skatebuzz.com, a figure skating portal powered by Skate Canada to provide insider access and unique content.  Key elements include maintaining the CMS tool, promoting virally through social media as well as producing video content during events using Final Cut Pro. 
• Started work with CanSportLive, a grassroots project bridging the gap between National Sports Federations and local clubs by consolidating sponsorship and distributing funds from the top down.  Key responsibilities include re-building club sites using a custom CMS and liaising between National and Local officials. 
• Facilitated a title sponsorship between P&G Canada (Swiffer Brand) and the Grand Slam of Curling for the 2010-2011 curling season focusing on online advertising.
• Helped plan Grand Slam of Curling events across Canada as well as several fund-raisers for Patrick Chan
• Other responsibilities include regular updates to Wayne Gretzky’s official website, management of Kurt Browning’s social media, monitoring web traffic statistics and SEO, maintaining the Grand Slam of Curling website as well as building sales and sponsorship presentations to prospective clients. 

OPM Worldwide Services Inc., Toronto, ON | 2007 – 2009

OPM is a global financial courier service that focuses on international remittances from Toronto. 

Director

• Presided over the change of operations from basic Microsoft Office applications to the incorporation of innovative software to increase efficiency of daily transactions - Resulted in growth of daily transactions from 4-5 per day to an average of 60 per day.  
• Responsible for compliance monitoring as stated by FINTRAC regulations. 

Aura Limited, New York, NY | Summer 2007

Aura Limited is a promotional merchandising firm endorsing American retail brands

Summer Intern: Brand Marketing and Merchandising

• Designed a campaign to promote Aura to potential clients using Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Office Programs and basic HTML - key elements included the creation of a catalogue, design of a website, and development of a presentation to be shown to prospective clients.
• Managed financial records and billing information using Quickbooks Pro. 

Jodi Cohen Group of Companies (JCG), Toronto, ON | Summer 2006

A Boutique Public Relations Firm promoting top Toronto businesses to local media. 

Summer Intern: Concierge and Affiliate Development

• Developed a promotional gift bag project to promote the company’s services to the SOHO Metropolitan Hotel
• Demonstrated communication skills through phone relations with media contacts in Canada and US - helped secure media interest for noted Toronto Plastic Surgeon Trevor Born.    
• Developed strong market research capabilities through gathering information on local businesses and aggregating it to specific client needs.

ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Wokai – Microfinance in China, VP Marketing | 2010

• Organized awareness events for Toronto Chapter including fundraising and summer scavenger hunt
•  Promoted events virally through digital and social media

Recognition as an OUA Academic Award |  2009

• Recognized as a varsity honour student at the University of Western Ontario

The Social Contract - UWO Undergraduate Political Science Journal | 2009

• Demonstrates exceptional writing capabilities through the publication of an essay “The Gender Wage Gap in the United States and Sweden"

Queen’s Entrepreneurship Competition - Finalist | 2008

• Member of a team who a creative business plan based on a marketing service firm that placed among the top submissions globally and presented at the finals to a panel of leading businesspeople and venture capitalists

UWO Varsity Captain, Figure Skating | 2005 – 2009

• Member and competitor for four consecutive years participating in all OUA finals events - recipient of the 2006 rookie of the year award.  

OTHER NOTABLE EXPERIENCE:

• Academic Excellence Opportunity Student Association, publications committee | 2005 - 2006
• High School Prom Committee - executive chair | 2005
• High School Yearbook - senior editor | 2004 - 2005        
• Competitive Figure Skater | 1995 – 2009
• Trilingual: English, Chinese, and Tagalog