Jennifer O’Brien first heard of Kwantlen Polytechnic University at a young age as she is the daughter of a (now retired) KPU Instructor. While Jennifer was growing up, she met many of the faculty and studied her departmental areas of interest in advance to pursuing her degree: “The way I was so welcomed by the individuals that I met, the sense of community I experienced on campus, and the creative works displayed around the university were leading factors in my decision to study at KPU.” 

Her experience at KPU has given her many memorable moments throughout her degree, one of which included painting a cityscape piece for the BFA grad show. The artwork was so large in scale, she had to build the canvas right in the gallery, work on the artwork there, and dismantle the piece once the show was complete. Jennifer also remembers working on a collaborative three-panel drawing project with a Fine Arts classmate. “My drawing flowed into a classmate's drawing,” said Jennifer. “Her drawing flowed into a final drawing which we worked on together to complete as a cohesive tryptic piece.”

Jennifer’s degree has influenced the skillset and knowledge that she currently uses as a KPU Administrative Assistant for Faculty Affairs & Search. “Through peer teamwork participation, I learned how to both give and follow direction, and to work independently and as an integral part of a team,” Jennifer states. Through discussion and assignments, Jennifer also developed critical thinking and interpersonal skills, which help her communicate and work effectively with others.

Jennifer graduated from KPU in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in General Studies with a focus in Fine Arts and English Literature. One of the advantages of completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in General Studies is it allowed her to study many departments within Arts and learn from a wide range of subject matter. Jennifer explained that her Arts degree has helped her immensely in her current role: “My degree provided an understanding of the intricacies of each of the Arts departments I now work closely with.”