 Discovering New Confidence
Russian-born student combines past experience and George Brown courses to ensure future success
When Olga Churkina arrived in Canada in 2007, she was confident she would land a job – and she was right. With experience working for an ad company in her native Russia, the then-24-year-old secured a position with a global advertising firm in Toronto.
“I arrived in Toronto at 4 p.m., had an interview at 6 p.m. and had a job by the end of the interview,” Olga says. “The only problem was my English. My new job included the condition that I study the language.”
For the first few months at her new job, Olga’s written work was monitored by co-workers and she was prohibited from communicating via email or phone with clients.
“I knew all the proper terms for advertising – and knew what I wanted to do with my job,” she says. “My problem was adapting it to proper English.”
Armed with money from her new employers earmarked for her courses, Olga began her search.
“I had seen a few George Brown College Continuing Education calendars around the city, and saw the ads in the subway, so I decided to do some research,” she says. “I checked the school out online and it was very easy to find the course I needed – Written Business Communications.”
In order to enroll in the Written Business Communications course, Olga needed to complete College English first – and was glad for the class.
“I really enjoyed the class; I made 3 friends that I still see to this day,” Olga says. “And the best part of the class was that everybody was at the same level – so we were able to help each other.”
While Olga was taking the Written Business Communications course, she had already reaped the benefits of her College English class.
“My boss told me a number of times that my writing was much better,” she says. “The company was so supportive of my education; they definitely appreciated my efforts – and I’m grateful for that.”
In fact, Olga’s company will be recommending College English via Continuing Education at George Brown for all new employees arriving from other countries.
“Even though I had a lot of advertising experience, I didn’t feel like a complete professional when I first started this position,” Olga says. “After my classes, however, I felt more confident that I could communicate properly – and that is a huge benefit.”
Olga’s George Brown classes have continued to come in handy in her new role as research director with her firm. In addition, she will be showcasing her skills in both advertising and communication at the ESOMAR (The European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research) Conference when she presents the results of her study about brand adaptation to local markets – a study inspired by her immigration to Canada. And a presentation influenced by her George Brown classes.
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