Employee Spotlight: Priscilla Patel (BFA '13, BMgt '17), Social Media Coordinator, Ancillary Services

Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Penang, Malaysia. My parents wanted me to learn more about my culture so I went to boarding school in India when I was 11. Going to a traditional Indian boarding school was very hard. It had its ups and downs but I made some really good friends. I left when I was 16 and finished my last year of high school in Malaysia. I moved to Canada to go to university. Trish Jackson (U of L manager of student recruitment) did a recruiting event in Malaysia that my mom went to and that’s how it all started. My family had already applied to immigrate to Canada. It was between Toronto and Lethbridge and we picked Lethbridge. So, my mom and my brother and two sisters moved here while my dad stayed in Malaysia to run his business. My first reaction was ‘What on earth?’ Growing up in a big city, you’re used to hustle and bustle. My dad told me to try it for a year and I came to like it here. We didn’t feel like we were always rushing to get somewhere. We could just relax. My dad finally joined us in Canada a year ago.

How long have you been at the U of L and what do you do here?
As a student, I arrived in 2009 and started working in the Library in 2010. I’m a visual graphics person and New Media was a great fit for me. In my last year of New Media, we had to do an internship. I was at Lethbridge College working in marketing and my supervisor and a friend said I should think about taking marketing. I loved it; it was the best decision I made. I became the social media coordinator for Ancillary Services in 2017. I do graphic design, social media and website management for the Ancillary departments.

What’s the best part of your job?
Human interaction and the ability to be creative! I love that I get opportunities to create and design whilst being around people. I work for some pretty amazing departments on campus! I also have the best work moms anyone could ever ask for. They are genuinely a few of the kindest people I have ever known.

What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?
I am a polyglot! I speak five languages — English, Malay, French, Hindi and Gujarati.