Psst...I Have a Confession to Make!

Psst….I have a confession to make… I am addicted to OCMC. It’s apart of my DNA.

Hi, I am Cheryl Dowell, Professor at Algonquin College and the faculty lead for our OCMC team.

For 5 years I have been working side by side with fantastic faculty coaches, close to 100 OCMC students and numerous industry professionals. And in the OCMC world…I am considered a “newbie”. Just imagine what knowledge and experience the seasoned OCMC coaches have (Be sure to tap into it!)

Why am I apart of OCMC? Why do I come back every year? Well, really, it is pure selfishness. Yes, I said selfish…….it just makes me feel SO good! Why not!

To see the bright eyed, eager, yet nervous students at the first OCMC meeting, then moving on to the one-on-one ‘motivational’ talks to get through the midterms, assignments, extra coaching sessions, work, and remain sane. To the pre-prep room walk in the hotel just before the competition. Ahhhh, who would NOT want to be apart of this!!!!

OCMC is not easy. It is WORK. Hard work. Ask any of the alumni and faculty coaches. At my first team meeting, I particularly stress that if you honestly believe that you have everything it takes to be apart of this competition then leave now (ouch!) OCMC is a learning curve. It is an opportunity to gain extensive knowledge outside of the classroom from experienced coaches. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Take full advantage of it.

I have another confession to make. Come closer now. Ready?

Last October – about 6 weeks before OCMC 2010, which by the way was truly AMAZING! The live band, the dancing – the celebrations - WOW - it was very memorable! Congratulations Sheridan College – you sure know how to throw a Gala.

Now, where was I? Oh, yes, my confession #2. Last October…. about 6 weeks before OCMC 2010, I found myself rethinking my role. Bluntly, I said to myself: ‘If I don’t see any major results this year (higher rankings), then this will be my last year. I just can’t handle the work load and the added pressures.’

Pretty selfish eh?!

Why am I telling you this? To show you that we are ALL human. When the going gets tough….some run, some hide, and some stay for the fight. I was ready to walk away, but then my team supported me (both students and coaches),they gave me the strength to keep moving. Within the week, I was back up fighting for our tomorrows! This is what OCMC is all about. Sure the medals and rankings are great; but, in the end it is the family, friends, support that makes us who we are.

Words of advice: mid October (AKA the breaking point). Everything seems to be due. Students are feeling it with group projects, midterms, presentations…oh, and then there is OCMC on top of it with coaching sessions, team meetings, fundraising, researching, and shopping for “that” amazing outfit!

Faculty are feeling the same breaking point pressures. Group issues, marking, midterm prep, marking, OCMC logistics, coaching sessions, course prep work, marking, committee meetings. I think we get the picture here.

So, what sets us apart? Nothing? What brings up closer together? Determination. Purpose. To better ourselves and the people around us. OCMC!

To the OCMC 2011 competitors: “no pain no gain”. Be ready for it, have your support systems in place. Bond with your team. Walk the talk. Be ready for the fight. And best of all, ENJOY this once in a lifetime experience. I keep coming back. I am fortunate to have this option. Its apart of my DNA. I know that by November 2011, you will also have OCMC in your DNA. As you become OCMC Alumni, you will also want to come back and give back.

To the OCMC 2011 coaches: THANK YOU! Keep up the worthwhile fight. You are making a valuable difference. It is not easy but truly rewarding.

See you all at Humber in November.

Cheryl Dowell
dowellc@algonquincollege.com
Tweet: @profdowell

Behind The Scenes- OCMC 2011

As the end of the spring semester approaches and most Colleges are winding down; there are still many that are actually ramping up... for OCMC 2011.  Seeing as many of us will be taking off for the summer, it felt like a good opportunity to update everyone on what’s going on with OCMC 2011- behind the scenes.  To do so I went to Marketing Coordinator Ellen Sparling for some quick fun facts about what’s in the works for Humber OCMC 2011.     

This year there will be 15 schools participating in the OCMC event, which means there will be over 300 students, 100 volunteer faculty/ coaches and roughly 60 judges hosted at the Marriott near Toronto Pearson Airport.  In order to organize this large group it will be up to Humber to acquire over 200 support staffers to volunteer their efforts across the two-day spectacle. 

Behind the scenes at Humber College a special team of faculty are busy working and meeting with the Marriott discussing lodging arrangements for the event on the 24^th& 25^th of November.  Coordinator Ellen Sparling has turned to her most dedicated staff to help with the intensive planning needed to pull off this year’s event.  Humber is currently contacting and investigating the potential companies that will be involved with this year’s cases.   Further, as the event is funded by sponsorship and participation (fees), Humber is actively looking for sponsors that want to make OCMC 2011 something special for students. 

In the upcoming months Humber will be launching its microsite for the 2011 event that will include all the information specific to OCMC 2011. So stay connected, and stay current with our social media as Humber OCMC 2011 will continue to provide you with all the latest regarding this year’s competition!!

"Social Media Revolution"

A year ago you would NEVER find me using Facebook or Twitter - I went online for two reasons: to check my emails; and to watch videos on YouTube. At the beginning of my fall semester as a student studying marketing it became evident to me that if I didn’t open my mind up to social media, I would be left behind and out of touch with what’s going on not only online but with everything else in the world (thanks Christina!).  My views didn’t change until late in the year when I attended a business conference in Toronto and heard co-founder of eBay Canada, and now director of Facebook Canada, Jordan Banks speak to the significant impact of social media - check out this short video from his presentation!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFZ0z5Fm-Ng&feature=player_embedded

For those like me who have decided to pursue a career in marketing, it is the new trends of today that create niche opportunities, and staying current with new trends is what marketing is all about!  Day-to-day changes are no longer unheard-of or surprising. People get famous overnight with YouTube and Twitter, while Facebook and LinkedIn continue to grow in popularity amongst businesses everywhere. Social networking sites have made it simple for companies to find their customers by developing innovative solutions that make “hyper-targeting”, re-targeting and metric tools easily accessible for users.

    

OCMC is now using social media for the first time to help profile the event and to help students, faculty, volunteers and sponsors connect, network, and build the OCMC brand.  Throughout the early phases of our campaign we have seen the center of our communications emerge through our Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/HumberOCMC, twitter account http://twitter.com/HumberOCMC and on this blog. Our OCMC blog http://humberocmc.blogspot.com/ continues to provide insights, stories, and information on OCMC with tips from past participants and guest bloggers. So stay connected. Subscribers gain an added advantage by receiving weekly posts directly to their inbox so why not subscribe to our posts and get them straight to your email or RSS feed?

NEW to our social media this week is LinkedIn. Our LinkedIn group http://linkd.in/dXmbrB is designed to let students, faculty, and sponsors optimize their networking experience. If you’re part of an OCMC college team as a coach, student, or advisor, please join us...Thanks for reading!!!