Jarrod Murphy giving a speech at his Local Business Awareness and Charity event
Few can say they’ve raised significant funds for charity, but Jarrod Murphy can. Inspired by his marketing class, colleagues, and a close friend’s new business, Jarrod hosted a Local Business Awareness and Charity event. This initiative brought together entrepreneurs of all experience levels, showcasing Jarrod’s knack for coordinating and executing community events. Through UBCO, he honed his community-building skills and forged strong relationships with professors and peers. Looking forward, Jarrod plans to continue in financial services, aiming to build a solid base of satisfied clients. His commitment to self-improvement and high performance drives his goal to positively impact those around him. Jarrod’s dedication to hard work and perseverance is evident in his aspiration to build a team of dedicated individuals to support his vision.
Q: What drew you to the Bachelor of Management program at UBCO?
A: Initially, I was drawn to the versatility of the program, as management students have multiple majors to choose from and can explore different avenues. After deciding that Management was the right program for me, I wanted to test the waters and explore various industries. As I took more classes, I gravitated toward marketing, taking a great interest in behavioural psychology.
Q: What have been your biggest takeaways from the program?
A: A good professor means everything. When you encounter the right professor, it’s crucial to build a strong relationship and stand out among the sea of university students, especially if this subject is your desired career path. They can be so much more than just a professor; most great professors aspire to mentor and build people, which is one of the rooted passions for choosing that career path. Fill that role, and your university investment will come back to you tenfold.
Q: What has been the most rewarding part of the program so far?
A: Watching everyone around me grow has truly enhanced my university experience. The people I’ve met and connected with have been instrumental in this. Witnessing our collective growth into roles we may not have envisioned initially speaks volumes about how this program shapes our identities and competencies in our respective fields of study. Additionally, learning and systemizing group and team structures have had a significant impact on my business career.
Q: What advice or insight would you give a prospective student considering the program?
A: The Faculty of Management offers a wealth of program options to help you discover knowledge and passions that align with your interests. However, it requires initiative on your part to fully benefit from it. In my three years here, I’ve seen people who disliked the program, changed majors, or even dropped out. Most of them had one thing in common: they lacked the initiative to truly extract the value this program has to offer. Engage with management professors, and ask thoughtful questions about the program and their courses. The options for a management degree are vast; staying curious and proactive is key!
Q: Can you describe the event you hosted and what inspired you to organize it?
A: I hosted a local business awareness and charity event in Downtown Kelowna. The initiative aimed to bring together hardworking entrepreneurs of varying experience levels and raise awareness of the local businesses in the Okanagan. What I found is that most people love to support local businesses but are often unaware of their existence. My volunteer team and I organized games and activities, including ping pong, sponsored cornhole, a donated silent auction, and a poker event. The inspiration for this event came together like puzzle pieces, with key components being my fourth-year marketing class, my colleagues and an idea we drafted up months ago, and a close friend who recently started a business.
Q: What challenges did you encounter while planning and executing the event, and how did you overcome them?
A: Some of the major challenges I faced while I was planning for the event included attendance, legal issues, coordinating everything solo, funding, involving the non-profit, contacting businesses for donations, last-minute attendees, and managing food and beverages. Overcoming these challenges required proactive problem-solving and community support, allowing us to assemble a team of volunteers to systemize the planning process. One of the greatest challenges was managing the multitude of details before the event, where careful attention ensured everything came together smoothly.
Q: What are your future career goals?
A: One of my goals is to continue working in financial services, building a strong base of satisfied clients. Achieving this requires constant self-improvement and maintaining consistently high performance. As I grow, it’s essential to positively impact those around me and change as many lives as possible. Hard work and perseverance are worthwhile when you have built a team of dedicated individuals to support and realize your vision.
Q: Do you have anything else you would like to share?
A: Actively seek information and utilize the wealth of resources available today. Developing habits like reading, listening to podcasts, efficiently using AI, and networking can transform you into an expert in your field. Enjoy the ride!
Jarrod Murphy in a suit