‘You really feel like you’re making a difference’
Retiree Jenny Calder took great pleasure working with and for individual students.
As a staff member in the International Students Office (ISO) for the past 19 years, she forged many personal bonds.
“For our students, the stakes are high when something happens — such as 9/11, the Arab Spring revolution, an earthquake, a political crisis, a personal crisis or maybe an important document that is about to expire,” she said.
“It’s real to them and to us. The team at the ISO takes it very seriously and gives a lot of themselves.”
Calder saw it as a privilege to be one of the students’ first points of contact.
“You really feel like you’re making a difference,” she said. “Imagine being a student coming from another culture and your family has made enormous sacrifices to get you here. It’s a lot of pressure.”
Before working for Student Services, Calder spent 16 years at what used to be called the Sir George Williams Art Gallery as an administrative assistant.
“It was fantastic, learning about Canadian art and going on studio visits,” she recalled. “There was always something different, from the exhibitions to the artists. I think back fondly on those days.”
Read more about Concordia's 2017 Voluntary Retirement Program honourees.