Employee Spotlight: Brandy Old (BA/BEd '17), Agility Manager

Where are you from?
I’m from Lloydminster, Alberta. Since I was five years old I wanted to  be a teacher and I knew I wanted to go to university. I was looking at the best programs in Canada and it was either the U of L or the University of Regina. I opted for the U of L after completing two years of university transfer studies in college in Lloydminster. I took a couple of education courses and my prof was actually an alum from here, so that helped. I transferred here and did my pre-education courses, wrapped up my BA and switched over to education right away. Halfway through my third practicum, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. I’m an only child so, when I finished school in December, I didn’t want to  start a contract because I didn’t know how much help my mom would need. I went back home for a month or two and helped her out. When I came back, I started looking for jobs to get me through to the fall and the start of a new school year. My friend, who was the coordinator for Agility, fell in love and moved to B.C. She told me to apply for the job. I came in and, like any good education student, I had a portfolio. I looked like a super keener, I guess, and I  ended up with the job.

When did you come to the U of L and what do you do here?
I started in April, 2017. We spent that summer going around talking to faculty who were champions of Agility and the Teaching Centre to find out what was missing and what was needed. Then we kind of transformed Agility from an entrepreneur incubator to an experiential learning  program for students.

We have four main areas we work in: ag and ag business, emerging technology, entrepreneurship and social innovation. We work with  students and faculty in the discovery and ideating phases of  entrepreneurship. We take on the early ones because the business advisors that are funded by the government don’t have time to sit down and go through the early fundamentals of teaching entrepreneurship. I  manage all of that. It’s a really cool dynamic job. I work with a lot of people and I see my role as a catalyst to getting projects off the ground.

What’s the best part of your job?
Working with students and faculty and helping them realize their dreams. It’s so cool to see the light bulb go on and see a place where they can funnel their passion.

What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?
I have my Grade 10 Royal Conservatory music certificate in piano. I’m an avid classical music aficionado. I started when I was four and I completed my certificate when I was 23. I just play now as a hobby, for the most part.