It was wonderful to hear Karen share her past in such a carefree, fun loving way.  My favourite part was her career exploration and what she learnt about herself from each job.

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Karen graduated from the University of Alberta with her BA and BEd.  Like many of us, we sometimes need to try a few avenues before finding the right fit.  Karen did just that by working in food processing, at a bank and even as a teacher.

- Food Processing: Karen worked at a dairy plant and she realized that she could not work fast enough in packaging as the machine was spiting out the “drum sticks”.  While working at the dairy, Karen said that she developed a new found respect for people who many not have had the traditional education and working on monotonous assembly lines but are nonetheless extremely intelligent.

- Banking: Karen worked in a bank and became a supervisor at a young age.  It was at this job that Karen learnt that she was a) the worlds worst supervisor and b) it is not as easy as it might seem to bend people’s will to your own.

- Teaching: Karen’s realization – “I like certain kids; I do not like kids in general and I don’t like their parents”.  Funny on so many levels!

When Karen’s children were young she worked part-time as an ESL teacher.  This covered English as a second language, English in the workplace, literacy in the workplace and essential skills.  Not only did Karen teach, she learnt a great deal more about the different cultures.  Part of her role was not just teaching ESL to employees but also employers and how they can support their staff [i.e. What an employer wants might not be what they actually need].

Karen is currently the Vice President of Student Services at NAIT.  Part of her portfolio includes athletics and learning resources.  When she began at NAIT her only knowledge on athletics was “I have muscles, does that count?”  Now that Karen’s children are older, she can focus on the things she enjoys.  In 2010, Karen travelled to Cambodia to volunteer in a school whose proprietor believed that issues in Cambodia can only be solved with education and cooperation/interaction between the different socioeconomic groups.

It was a true pleasure learning more about Karen and we look forward to working with you in the community. 

“I had no idea about your sense of humor” ~Paul MacElhone about Karen Bennett

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