Jessica Hope-Ross
When Jessica Hope-Ross graduated from UBC with a double major in English Literature and Theatre, she was unsure of how the skills she developed as an undergrad would land her a job. But she quickly realized that writing, editing, presenting and leadership skills all aided her marketing and communications career. Learning happens inside and out of the classroom, she says, and in this profile she describes how the extracurricular pursuits of her undergrad were just as important as what she learned in the classroom.
Why did you choose your program at UBC and what did you enjoy most about it?
I chose Arts because I had an affinity for writing and acting. The opportunity to move to Vancouver and study two things I love made it the right choice for me.
What I enjoyed most was the environment of young people hungry to learn and have a fun time embracing youth at the same time. My favourite class was my majors English class in my final year—it was a very small intimate group and we only read and wrote about one book all year. I honed my writing skills immensely during that class.
What were some of your most meaningful experiences at UBC?
Being part of the UBC Sororities (Alpha Delta Pi Sorority)! I held a number of positions in my sorority and I was the president of the Panhellenic Association, which is the all sorority body. It was an amazing opportunity for me to develop my leadership skills, practice managing multiple projects concurrently and start the foundation of my professional network. The skills I learned as a leader of the UBC Sororities have really served me well in my current career.
What choices did you make at UBC that contributed to your career success / journey?
Going to university taught me that learning happens in extracurricular activities as well as in the classroom. I found that English Literature helped me become a great writer and editor, which has helped me in my communications roles; Theatre helped me become a confident and skilled presenter in the traditional business environment; and volunteering helped me develop leadership skills that set me up for my career.
What was your first job after graduation and what other jobs did you have before your current position?
My first job after graduating from UBC was at the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. I was the logistics coordinator for the Run for the Cure here in Vancouver. It was the first jump into what is now my career. I learned a lot about stretching a budget, being hyper-organized and brand management. Before my current role as Casino Marketing and Communications Specialist at BCLC, I held separate roles at TELUS doing sponsorship and event marketing, marketing communications and marketing strategy. Working for TELUS was an incredible experience. I met an enormous amount of people, sharpened my marketing skills and had a lot of fun working on a $3 billion brand!
I think it’s also worth noting that I’ve been part of women’s networking groups at all of companies I’ve been a part of. It’s a great way to meet new people and build a supportive network of professional women. Here at BCLC, I’m on the women’s networking committee called AIM and it has been a really wonderful experience. We work to encourage other women to give back to their community, get inspired and find mentorship.
Is your current career path as you originally intended? What challenges did you face in launching your career?
My current career path is not as I originally intended it but it has morphed and evolved in a way that I’m so proud of.
When I first launched my career I wasn’t sure how to use my experience from an Arts degree and transfer it to where I wanted to go. I wanted to be in the event industry but I didn’t have a commerce degree, so I focused on leveraging the soft skills I learned at university: writing, presenting and leading.
I found that in the beginning of my career it was challenging to show my experience when I was really just getting started. That’s where extracurriculars and volunteering played a major role. I got relevant work experience in the field I was interested in as well as built my leadership skills. I leveraged that work on my resume and in interviews to prove that I was fit for the role.
I started my career in event marketing which was a bit of a departure from an English Lit & Theatre degree (although there are more ties than you might think) but it was a natural progression from my volunteer experience and it was something that I was naturally very good at. From there, I was able to make connections, grow my experience, and pivot towards more traditional marketing (advertising) and once I made that move it was a natural to flow into marketing strategy roles.
I worked very hard to build a deep and meaningful network and this helped me when I was ready to make the next career move. I also found that being part of huge companies like TELUS and now BCLC allowed me to expand my network and continue my career progression while staying at the same company.
What do you like about your current job and what do you find challenging? How does it relate to your degree?
In my role at BCLC, I’m responsible for communications with our casino players, specifically those who are part of our loyalty program—Encore Rewards. This means strategizing and developing marketing communications to support the Encore Rewards program. I develop everything from advertising in mass media platforms (YouTube, social media, print, TV, radio, etc.) to direct emails to our players, developing on-site casino collateral, copywriting, and designing our website.
I love that my role is the closest to the customer or player and it’s my responsibility to ensure that our marketing speaks to them. It’s also a role that has a lot of variety day-to-day and requires strong relationship building and management skills since I work with so many different stakeholders.
What advice would you give to current students?
Write down the things you’re proud of—the skills you have that no one else has. You’ll see at the end that they actually accumulate to a pretty amazing story about who you are and why you’d be a great fit for a given company.
Jessica Hope-Ross
When Jessica Hope-Ross graduated from UBC with a double major in English Literature and Theatre, she was unsure of how the skills she developed as an undergrad would land her a job. But she quickly realized that writing, editing, presenting and leadership skills all aided her marketing and communications career. Learning happens inside and out of the classroom, she says, and in this profile she describes how the extracurricular pursuits of her undergrad were just as important as what she learned in the classroom.
Why did you choose your program at UBC and what did you enjoy most about it?
I chose Arts because I had an affinity for writing and acting. The opportunity to move to Vancouver and study two things I love made it the right choice for me.
What I enjoyed most was the environment of young people hungry to learn and have a fun time embracing youth at the same time. My favourite class was my majors English class in my final year—it was a very small intimate group and we only read and wrote about one book all year. I honed my writing skills immensely during that class.
What were some of your most meaningful experiences at UBC?
Being part of the UBC Sororities (Alpha Delta Pi Sorority)! I held a number of positions in my sorority and I was the president of the Panhellenic Association, which is the all sorority body. It was an amazing opportunity for me to develop my leadership skills, practice managing multiple projects concurrently and start the foundation of my professional network. The skills I learned as a leader of the UBC Sororities have really served me well in my current career.
What choices did you make at UBC that contributed to your career success / journey?
Going to university taught me that learning happens in extracurricular activities as well as in the classroom. I found that English Literature helped me become a great writer and editor, which has helped me in my communications roles; Theatre helped me become a confident and skilled presenter in the traditional business environment; and volunteering helped me develop leadership skills that set me up for my career.
What was your first job after graduation and what other jobs did you have before your current position?
My first job after graduating from UBC was at the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. I was the logistics coordinator for the Run for the Cure here in Vancouver. It was the first jump into what is now my career. I learned a lot about stretching a budget, being hyper-organized and brand management. Before my current role as Casino Marketing and Communications Specialist at BCLC, I held separate roles at TELUS doing sponsorship and event marketing, marketing communications and marketing strategy. Working for TELUS was an incredible experience. I met an enormous amount of people, sharpened my marketing skills and had a lot of fun working on a $3 billion brand!
I think it’s also worth noting that I’ve been part of women’s networking groups at all of companies I’ve been a part of. It’s a great way to meet new people and build a supportive network of professional women. Here at BCLC, I’m on the women’s networking committee called AIM and it has been a really wonderful experience. We work to encourage other women to give back to their community, get inspired and find mentorship.
Is your current career path as you originally intended? What challenges did you face in launching your career?
My current career path is not as I originally intended it but it has morphed and evolved in a way that I’m so proud of.
When I first launched my career I wasn’t sure how to use my experience from an Arts degree and transfer it to where I wanted to go. I wanted to be in the event industry but I didn’t have a commerce degree, so I focused on leveraging the soft skills I learned at university: writing, presenting and leading.
I found that in the beginning of my career it was challenging to show my experience when I was really just getting started. That’s where extracurriculars and volunteering played a major role. I got relevant work experience in the field I was interested in as well as built my leadership skills. I leveraged that work on my resume and in interviews to prove that I was fit for the role.
I started my career in event marketing which was a bit of a departure from an English Lit & Theatre degree (although there are more ties than you might think) but it was a natural progression from my volunteer experience and it was something that I was naturally very good at. From there, I was able to make connections, grow my experience, and pivot towards more traditional marketing (advertising) and once I made that move it was a natural to flow into marketing strategy roles.
I worked very hard to build a deep and meaningful network and this helped me when I was ready to make the next career move. I also found that being part of huge companies like TELUS and now BCLC allowed me to expand my network and continue my career progression while staying at the same company.
What do you like about your current job and what do you find challenging? How does it relate to your degree?
In my role at BCLC, I’m responsible for communications with our casino players, specifically those who are part of our loyalty program—Encore Rewards. This means strategizing and developing marketing communications to support the Encore Rewards program. I develop everything from advertising in mass media platforms (YouTube, social media, print, TV, radio, etc.) to direct emails to our players, developing on-site casino collateral, copywriting, and designing our website.
I love that my role is the closest to the customer or player and it’s my responsibility to ensure that our marketing speaks to them. It’s also a role that has a lot of variety day-to-day and requires strong relationship building and management skills since I work with so many different stakeholders.
What advice would you give to current students?
Write down the things you’re proud of—the skills you have that no one else has. You’ll see at the end that they actually accumulate to a pretty amazing story about who you are and why you’d be a great fit for a given company.
