Principal, Higher Ed Communications
The first clue was the English Award I won in Grade 8 (thank you, Mrs. McCartin). In high school, after discovering a knack for hamburger-model essays, I landed decisively in the “words” versus “numbers” category. At university, pulled in like so many others by the brilliance of Marshal McLuhan, I imagined becoming a media sociologist. But my word-nerd tendencies led me to communications, and I’ve been storytelling ever since.
The talented and effervescent Annette McLeod (RIP) took me under her wing at The Toronto Sun, where I wordsmithed in the advertising department for four years, editing and writing for, among many others, a weekly section on education and employment. In 2004, I made the leap into indie life and have pretty much never looked back. Building on my Sun experience, I decided to double down on communications for universities and colleges, where so many good stories live, and recently rebranded into Higher Ed Communications. Writing, editing, strategy, project management—all that good stuff.
So here I am now, in an IABC/Toronto member spotlight. But I’ll put the spotlight on the organization, and start with a genuine thank you—for the learning, the connections, the teamwork, and the opportunities to help our profession advance. Lucky me, I got to lead the chapter’s Professional Independent Communicators group for six years—so many great PD sessions, interesting people and fun pub nights. As well, two years of serving on the chapter board was instructive and a fulfilling challenge.
Twitter: @SharonAschaiek
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonaschaiek/