Every month we are profiling one of the Web Services Department’s team members. This month we hear about Krist who is a co-op student with Web Services.
How did you enter this career?
As a Communication and Media Studies student, I have always been passionate and curious about communications, media and generally how information travels around. Prior to Web Services, I was on two co-op placements as the Communications Student at Carleton’s Department of Housing and Residence Life Services, where I mostly worked with re-building the Housing website. I greatly enjoyed working with web content and the amount of creativity it allowed for me to send my messages across, and I was looking for an opportunity to deepen my knowledge and understanding of websites. When the opportunity to work at Web Services opened up, I immediately applied and was fortunate to get the position, starting a new page in my career development!
Where else have you worked?
Before starting at Web Services, I was on two co-op terms with Carleton’s Department of Housing and Residence Life Services as the Communications Students, tackling the Department’s website along with other communications initiatives such as newsletters, poster design and so on.
Before that, I worked part-time as a telephone interpreter, translating between English and Vietnamese for clinics, insurance companies and banks while juggling with school work. I was also involved in a youth organization named AIESEC, where I developed most of my content creation, graphic design and marketing skills!
What are some of the technologies you have used along the way?
I am familiar with the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) and graphic design tools like Canva and Adobe Photoshop. I am also familiar with WordPress, and am on my way to becoming a pro this semester!
What are the best things about your program?
One of my favourite things about the Communication and Media Studies program is the awesome Faculty members, who are not only experts in what they are teaching but also very approachable and supportive. There is also a wide array of courses that tackle different communication and media topics, which give students lots of options in their studies.
Do you have some exciting projects you are working on right now?
Right now, I am very excited about the implementation of cuTheme, as this will allow web managers across campus to be even more creative with their content creation.
What music are you listening to at the moment?
What I listen to depends greatly on how I feel at the moment. An artist that I have been listening to a lot lately is Alec Benjamin, for I like his relaxing voice and story-telling style lyrics. I also have been jamming to a lot of Disney soundtracks lately, namely “Reflection” from Mulan and “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas.
What are you reading at the moment?
I have been keeping up with the manga One Piece. After roughly 1000 chapters, the story is entering one of its largest and most significant story arcs, and I can’t wait to see how it resolves!
What do you do outside of school/work to amuse yourself?
I like painting – it is a great way to express myself without using words. I also enjoy going for a walk in nature to refresh my mind.
What exciting plans do you have coming up in the next year?
With travel restrictions being gradually lifted, I hope to finally be able to join my family in Vietnam this summer and travel. Outside of school, I am also currently organizing a 3-day conference which will take place in May, and I am really excited to see its fruition.