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Alumni Engagement

News, Profiles and Events

RRC Polytech’s mentorship program helps student land refreshing summer job

July 29, 2022

Stars were aligning for Sehajdeep Singh in early 2020 – a Business Technology Management (BTM) student finishing up his first year, he had a summer job lined up at a credit union in a different city and was looking forward to putting what he was learning in school to the test.

But, the COVID-19 pandemic turned his plans upside down.

Due to lockdowns, Singh’s summer job fell through and he had to go back to the drawing board. Unsure if he’d be able to find a similar placement in Winnipeg, Singh began working his network.

As a member of the RRC Polytech Café, the College’s mentorship and networking platform that connects students with alumni, Singh had access to graduates from a variety of industries.

That’s how he met Dennis Cunningham, a 1991 graduate of the Creative Communications program.

“I heard about [the platform] through an email from Alumni Engagement and I liked the idea of being a mentor. I’ve been out of the College since 1991, so I’ve got a fairly decent network in the city,” said Cunningham, who works at Assiniboine Credit Union as the Manager of Environmental Sustainability.

The pair exchanged emails and Singh told Cunningham about his placement falling through.

“I said, I know a couple of people that work for either an IT company or someone that owns their own business that might be looking for somebody and I’m happy to connect you with those people,” Cunningham said. “That’s kind of how it happened. Classic Winnipeg: somebody knows somebody, and when you know them, I kind of know them, too.”

One of Cunningham’s running mates, Darryl Stewart, happened to be the right connection.

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Making their mark at Brandish

July 26, 2022

To borrow a stock market term, it’s fair to say Brandish is bullish on RRC Polytech.

Among the 35 staff at this young and growing Winnipeg branding agency – it was founded in 2015 – are 10 RRC Polytech graduates.

And they’re bringing serious skills in communication, design, and strategy to the table in helping clients shine and Brandish itself earn national recognition.

Case in point: Alexandra Martin (pictured above), a 2015 graduate of the joint communications program through The University of Winnipeg and RRC Polytech. An Advertising major, she gained experience in copywriting, project management, and business intelligence with several local agencies. A chance meeting with Brandish co-founders Lee Waltham and Derek Elliott at a conference led to her joining the agency in 2017.

“Including me, there were just four of us,” she said. “As the company grew, I started to lead the brand discipline as a whole—consulting on research, strategy, creative, or campaigns. I’ve been fortunate to hire some strong people to build a team.”

Now the Director of Brand at the agency, Martin enjoys helping clients bridge the gap between their brand and their customers.

“We love to partner with organizations ready to transform themselves,” Martin said.

“Today, telling an effective story is so essential. Strategic thinking and research come first. It takes time to get it right.”

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Join the RRC Polytech Café for your chance to win!

July 18, 2022

The RRC Polytech Café, powered by Ten Thousand Coffees, is RRC Polytech’s free online networking and mentorship platform that connects RRC Polytech students and alumni through ‘coffee chats’ and exclusive nation-wide events with career development experts.

More than 3,200 current students and alumni members have already joined the Café, and more than 17,700 connections have been made so far since launching in 2020.

Learn more about how the platform works >

Contest Now Closed

Accelerate your personal and professional development – sign up to become a member of the RRC Polytech Café between July 18 and 29, 2022 for your chance to win one of 10 $25 digital gift cards for Goodlocal! This contest is open to all current students and RRC Polytech alumni.

The contest closes on July 29 at 3 p.m. and the winners will be notified by email. Forgot to enter the contest? You can join the RRC Polytech Café at any time to start working your network!

Visit Contest Rules and Regulations for the official contest rules.

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Free Event: Celebration of Indigenous Cultures, Arts, Languages, and Entrepreneurship

June 10, 2022

RRC Polytech alumni are invited to a Celebration of Indigenous Cultures, Arts, Languages, and Entrepreneurship, an RBC Reaction by Collision Event on June 20th from 2:00 – 7:00 p.m. – the perfect precursor to your National Indigenous People’s Day and Summer Solstice festivities!

This is a great opportunity for alumni to network with fellow RRC Polytech community members, meet Indigenous entrepreneurs and community organizations, and explore Manitou a bi Bii daziigaeWhere Creator Sits, Brings Light in Anishinaabemowin – our newest building at our Exchange District Campus, which features Indigenous elements, art, and inspiration, and is designed as a hub for technology, collaboration, and community.

Settle into the newly opened Roundhouse Auditorium, with incredible artwork by Anishinaabe/Nêhiyaw/British artist KC Adams, for the opening Pipe Ceremony at 1:30 p.m. with RRC Polytech Elders-in-Residence, followed by intimate Teachings and Storytelling. Enjoy the hustle and bustle of elegant, top-rated, and high energy performances, a panel discussion, and special guest speakers in the main Agora. Explore pockets of Indigenous makers and entrepreneurs, and connect with community groups and special guests throughout the near net zero efficiency space. All are welcome to this community celebration that highlights Indigenous knowledge, talent, and innovation.

You are also invited to join us for a special announcement at 3:30 – 4:00 p.m. to celebrate and honour the partnership between RBC and RRC Polytech. RBC’s investment in students today will put RRC Polytech in front of what’s ahead.

Check out the lineup of special guest performers and learn more >

Globetrotting Hotel and Tourism Management grad thrives in fine wine career in New Zealand

June 10, 2022

There’s no question a Hospitality and Tourism Management diploma from RRC Polytech can take you places, as grads and practicum students alike land in workplaces as varied as mountain lodges in Banff, Alberta, to northern outposts among the polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba.

For Mitch Hyndman, though, it’s hard to beat a career in as far-flung a place as New Zealand, where he’s excelled in hotel and wine tourism for much of the last 16 years.

RRC Polytech graduate Mitch Hyndman

“I’m from small-town Manitoba, just north of Brandon,” says Hyndman, who graduated from RRC Polytech in 2007. “Back when I was studying, they said you can go anywhere in the world — and my mom’s uncle was down here. I decided to go check it out.”

Today, Hyndman is working at Pernod Ricard Winemakers, the second largest alcohol and wine producer in the world. He’s the Brand Home Manager at Church Road Winery — located in picturesque Hawke’s Bay, just a stone’s throw from the Pacific Ocean. Church Road offers wine tastings, winery experiences, large-scale events, and also features a restaurant, with Hyndman overseeing all of it and maintaining consistency in customer experience.

“It’s quite multi-faceted what I do,” says Hyndman. “I’m leading a team, including HR and payroll, but it’s also quality control, keeping everything up to what our standards need to be. We’re also a marketing business in some capacity, so it’s ensuring that everyone who comes through the door has the best brand experience possible.”

Before landing in the current role, which he’s held for eight years, Hyndman bounced back and forth between New Zealand and Canada — working more than half of the time at hotels, including the Delta and Fairmont in Winnipeg, and a luxury lodge back on the island. There were some challenges along the way, including coming to New Zealand’s capital for a practicum and having it fall through on arrival.

“In New Zealand, there’s lots of transient people, a lot of people that come here on a working holiday visa. I was supposed to do a practicum up in Auckland, but it fell through because I came in May — you’d think that would be a great time to come, but it’s the start of winter here — so the hours for the tourism sector were declining at that stage. There wasn’t as much happening as in the summer.”

“So the first practicum fell through, which I had lined up before I came. I had to find something else when I got here. With that, I got an exception and was able to graduate with the rest of my class.”

Hyndman says his RRC Polytech experience laid a solid foundation for the learning he’s done since, with each workplace adding to the skillset he now needs to perform in a management role.

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Creative Communications alumni find success in unexpected places

May 24, 2022

A new series on RRC Polytech’s RED Blog celebrates alumni career successes and the—sometimes wayward—journeys our alumni take post-graduation. The series features a variety of RRC Polytech programs from the viewpoints of different alumni, each with an amazing story to share.

In April, two Creative Communications graduates were highlighted: Lucasfilm lore master and Distinguished Graduate Award winner Pablo Hidalgo, and grad-turned-instructor Doug Darling, CEO of Tripwire Media Group.

Distinguished Graduate Award recipient Pablo Hidalgo

Pablo Hidalgo took what he learned in Creative Communications at RRC Polytech and combined it with his love of Star Wars to become the resident Yoda at Lucasfilm—seemingly all-knowing and the go-to guy aspiring Padawans approach to learn the history and lore of the force. When J.J. Abrams had questions during the production of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Hidalgo was the master with all the answers.

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Putting His Tech Training to the Test

April 25, 2022

Patryk Siedlik is the definition of a hands-on learner.

“When I was a kid, I wanted to be an inventor,” says Siedlik, 27. “I always wanted to build stuff and test it.”

A penchant for the practical has served this graduate of RRC Polytech’s Electronic Engineering Technology program well.

On completing the 28-month diploma program in 2018, he found work in his field with Winnipeg-based multinational bus manufacturer New Flyer.

In a role he characterizes as “a lot of fun,” Siedlik integrated, programmed, and validated aftermarket electronic systems to modernize existing bus fleets. In the process, he travelled to more North American cities than he can readily list.

Yet it was with fond memories of a final-term biomedical elective that Siedlik decided to make a change after three years with New Flyer. In 2021, he joined Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg (HSC) as a Biomedical Engineering Technologist in the hospital’s Clinical Engineering department.

Siedlik examines a piece of medical equipment at Health Sciences Centre (Photo: Shared Health)

“I work on most types of medical equipment, including infusion pumps, defibrillators, respiratory equipment, and electrosurgical units. One piece might be 30 years old, and the next is one week old.”

“The main thing is ‘can they (health care providers) trust the machines?’”

It might seem like a logical progression: a curious kid grows up to land cool tech jobs. However, Siedlik is quick to explain his career path has hardly been a straight line. After graduating from Sturgeon Heights Collegiate, he found university a disappointingly frustrating match for his learning style.

RRC Polytech is not only where Siedlik got the training to launch a career, but also where he found like-minded people who share his interests.

“My good friends – my closest friends – are from college. All of us are in the field and happy with where we are. I’m such a fan of the school.”

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$40 and a Dream: RRC Polytech alum Amanda Buhse will share her story at CreativeMornings Winnipeg this month

April 13, 2022

More than a decade ago, CreativeMornings was launched out of a desire for ongoing, accessible events for creative communities to connect. Today, these communities gather in 223 cities across 67 countries — including right here in Winnipeg.

The Winnipeg chapter of CreativeMornings not only celebrates our city’s creative talent, but also promotes an open space to connect with like-minded individuals. From marketing legends to hometown heroes, speakers are selected by each chapter based on a global theme. This month’s theme is KISMET: chance encounters, happening onto a fortune, finding true love – it’s all fate or destiny. It’s all kismet.

Amanda Buhse, a graduate of RRC Polytech’s Communication Design program and co-founder of Coal and Canary Candle Company, is CreativeMornings Winnipeg’s speaker on Friday, April 29 from 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. CT. This ‘accidental entrepreneur’ will be sharing her career journey, from starting a business with only $40 in her bank account in 2014, to being named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Women Business Owners of Manitoba by 2019.

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Enter to win a ticket to Digital Marketing Day 2022

April 8, 2022

Enter now for your chance to win a ticket to this year’s Digital Marketing Day conference on April 20, 2022, presented by the Advertising Association of Winnipeg.

Learn from the most relevant speakers in digital marketing and advertising from across North America. You’ll hear from industry gurus working at brands like Google, TikTok, and LinkedIn, and learn how to up your organization’s digital game.

From social media superstars to SEO wizards, each speaker will provide insight from working in the field and each session is designed to enlighten and inspire. Take your knowledge to the next level – enter to win today.

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#BreakTheBias: Empowering women to succeed and allies to support – Free Virtual Event

March 3, 2022

You’re invited! Ten Thousand Coffees is hosting a special Office Hour event celebrating International Women’s Day! The event will be held on March 10th at 2:00 p.m. CT and will align with IWD’s 2022 theme – #BreakTheBias.

This International Women’s Day, Ten Thousand Coffees is shedding light on the barriers that women face as they enter or navigate the workforce. The first step is building awareness and the next step is breaking them down – and we need women and allies to do both.

Ten Thousand Coffees founder and CEO Dave Wilkin will chat with guest speakers Christine Silva (Senior Lead, Community & Underrepresented Entrepreneurs at Shopify) and Emma Mohns (Senior Legal Counsel at Kinaxis) about the tactics these women used to navigate and succeed in their career. They will also highlight the role allyship played in their success and share the tools and tricks that other allies can leverage to build inclusive environments.

If you identify as a woman, it’s critical to understand what barriers you may encounter and the proven tactics you can use to overcome them – spoiler alert, sponsorship is key! As an ally, it’s your job to actively call out bias when you see it and fight to break the mold.

This Office Hour event is free and open to all RRC Polytech students and alumni. Whether you’re already a member of the RRC Polytech Café or new to our mentoring and networking platform, you’re invited to listen in and ask questions!

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RRC Polytech campuses are located on the lands of the Anishinaabeg, Ininiwak, Anishininwak, Dakota Oyate, and Denésuline, and the National Homeland of the Red River Métis.

We recognize and honour Treaty 3 Territory Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, the source of Winnipeg’s clean drinking water. In addition, we acknowledge Treaty Territories which provide us with access to electricity we use in both our personal and professional lives.