July 16th, 2012
For Sharon Jensen having an opportunity of being involved with and exposed to different cultures is like being in a flower garden. “If you only have one kind of flower it can get pretty boring,” she explained. “But when you have a wide variety of flowers, of different shapes and colors, you have something exciting and beautiful.” That’s one of the motivations behind her long term involvement with the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society in Nanaimo.
The Nanaimo REALTOR® (Century 21 Harbour Realty) had served on the Centre’s Board of Directors for four years before being elected president at the registered charity’s Annual General Meeting in late June. “There can be so many challenges for the new arrivals. For many of them coming to Canada is like landing on an alien planet,” she said. “They may come here with University Degrees and 20 years of business experience but don’t know how to get a library card or where to go to find a job. There is a lot to be done, but it can also be very rewarding.”
Jensen was first licensed as a REALTOR® in her native California in 1971 where she worked in her family’s real estate and property management business – all this while attending university. Having earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration she left real estate and spent some 25 years working in various school administration positions, including 12 years on Vancouver Island. In 2007, with her children grown and on their own she returned to her real estate roots and once again became a REALTOR®. “My involvement with the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society is strictly a voluntary position as I make no money or carry out any real estate business through my position there,” she explained. “I do it because of the opportunity of learning about other cultures and to simply feel good about doing something positive in the community.”
When not looking after her real estate business or working with the Society, Jenson continues to draw from her education background. She serves as an instructor of the Applied Practice Course at VIREB and as an Adjunct Instructor in real estate fundamentals at Vancouver Island University (VIU). “It’s an introductory course in real estate that I teach at VIU for entry finance students as part of the university’s school of business.”
Jensen does find that her various involvements can fill her day, but she still manages to keep her sense of humor about her work load. “Once in while I even get to do some real estate!”
The Nanaimo REALTOR® (Century 21 Harbour Realty) had served on the Centre’s Board of Directors for four years before being elected president at the registered charity’s Annual General Meeting in late June. “There can be so many challenges for the new arrivals. For many of them coming to Canada is like landing on an alien planet,” she said. “They may come here with University Degrees and 20 years of business experience but don’t know how to get a library card or where to go to find a job. There is a lot to be done, but it can also be very rewarding.”
Jensen was first licensed as a REALTOR® in her native California in 1971 where she worked in her family’s real estate and property management business – all this while attending university. Having earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration she left real estate and spent some 25 years working in various school administration positions, including 12 years on Vancouver Island. In 2007, with her children grown and on their own she returned to her real estate roots and once again became a REALTOR®. “My involvement with the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society is strictly a voluntary position as I make no money or carry out any real estate business through my position there,” she explained. “I do it because of the opportunity of learning about other cultures and to simply feel good about doing something positive in the community.”
When not looking after her real estate business or working with the Society, Jenson continues to draw from her education background. She serves as an instructor of the Applied Practice Course at VIREB and as an Adjunct Instructor in real estate fundamentals at Vancouver Island University (VIU). “It’s an introductory course in real estate that I teach at VIU for entry finance students as part of the university’s school of business.”
Jensen does find that her various involvements can fill her day, but she still manages to keep her sense of humor about her work load. “Once in while I even get to do some real estate!”
