By Written by : Taunya Murchison

Some say hard work, desire and determination are the keys to success and Amanda Annand of Charlottetown is proof.
Amanda graduated in May of last year from the Tourism and Travel Program and was one of nine students in her class with a specialization in Events Management and the only Aboriginal of her class. Amanda entered the workforce immediately with the Department of Tourism and Culture and on April 1 of this year she was offered an internship with the same department only as a Festivals and Events Intern. Up until recently she also held down a part-time position at People’s Jewellers as well.
Amanda loves the career she has chosen for herself but it wasn’t always the path she was going to take. Initially she was attending UPEI full-time taking Psychology but during the summer between her second and third year decided she should see if that was the field that would make her happiest.
“The program (Psychology) was fun but I knew that I probably wouldn’t do much with a degree in that subject … So, I sat down and started thinking about the future and what I wanted to do. I knew that I wanted to be in a career that was fun and exciting. I wanted the opportunity to travel and work wherever I wanted. I did some research and the events and tourism industry is growing significantly and there is much you can do with education in those fields.”
With every journey of life comes obstacles to face and Amanda’s story is no different. Originally, Amanda applied for a one-year internship with her department but tough competition and an excess of applicants directed her in another path. She didn’t get the internship but that didn’t mean she was going to give up.
“I was a little disappointed but I kept up a good work ethic and my hard work paid off. I got a six month contract in the end.”
One realm of Amanda’s new career is promoting Island events and she’s done so by keeping up with social networking like Facebook.
“Social media is free, it reaches new audiences, it provides new ways of reaching existing audiences, it’s a great way to build relationships and it drives visitation to the website. Festivals and Events PEI is a non-profit organization so anything that can do all of that for no cost is simply great.”
There has been a number of positive memories since taking part in the program and with her new job, so many that Amanda couldn’t just pick one. For starters, she spent her 22nd birthday on Bourbon Street in New Orleans with her classmates, travelled to Wisconsin, USA for a conference on green tourism, couldn’t ask for better co-workers and worked at the Festival of Lights last year.
“I got to meet Theory of a Deadman and Simple Plan plus watch their shows from backstage. It was great!”
For any future students Amanda said determination is vital in whichever path in life is chosen.
“Even if you have no idea what you want to do, stick to it and don’t give up. You never know what kind of opportunities might come your way.”
As for Amanda’s next adventure - more school. In August she is moving to Naniamo, BC with her boyfriend where she will take advantage of Holland College’s articulation agreement with Vancouver Island University and start her third year of Hospitality Management.