Building a Business with Tides of Change and New Brunswick Community College

Shelley Holloway, CEO of Tides of Change, was looking to increase the social media presence of her recently founded art therapy and creative coaching business. She worked with New Brunswick Community College (NBCC) educator, Aynslie Croney, and her classes to source the branding material she needed, all while also providing students like Marilu Luvizotto with an amazing experiential learning opportunity. See what all three had to say about how Riipen-powered collaboration benefited them.

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From the Top

Aynslie, Coordinating Instructor for NBCC’s Graphics and Communications Design program, was introduced to Riipen last Fall. Prior to Riipen, her students looking for work placements did so on their own. While she didn’t initially buy into the employer matching benefits of Riipen, she was amazed by how much it simplified her job. 

“Within a day, I had three [employers] who had contacted me through Riipen saying, ‘We want your students,’” said Aynslie. “I was like, ‘you’ve just made my job a lot easier, because I just filled out one profile!’”

Project Scope

Having just started Tides of Change, Shelley was missing branding material to set up the company’s social media presence. Connecting with Aynslie through the Riipen platform, two NBCC Graphics and Communications Design students worked with Shelley, one being Marilu. 

Over the next few weeks, Marilu gained graphic design experience by creating logos, banners, and video campaigns for Shelley’s business. The result? Graphics and a video campaign that Shelley loved and would use for Tides of Change’s social media accounts.

The Collaboration Experience

With Shelley, Aynslie, and Marilu all loving their project experience, we asked all three what they enjoyed the most about working together to figure out the driving forces behind a positive experience. 

To Shelley, it was how honest and knowledgeable Aynslie was of her students’ abilities, and the professionalism that all the students brought to the table. 

For Aynslie, it was how her students were able to gain real world experience in their field of study.

Marilu appreciated the opportunity to work for a client for the first time, which helped her gain confidence in her chosen field and feel better prepared for her career.

“Shelley was amazing because she understood a lot about art. She totally understood our work, and I think it gave us confidence,” said Marilu Luvizotto, Graphics and Communications Design student at NBCC

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What is the Benefit of Riipen?

Despite being on opposite ends of the platform, Shelley and Aynslie’s answers both speak for how efficient it is to connect with an employer or educator through Riipen’s network.

“Riipen is a great tool for finding people who can help you with all aspects of businesses,” said Shelley Holloway, CEO of Tides of Change.

“I’ve said to [educators], ‘If you're coordinating practicums, you need to get in touch with Riipen because it's very simple to match your students with practicum opportunities,’” said Aynslie.

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Thank you to Shelley, Aynslie, and Marilu for sharing their stories with us. To learn more about Riipen and how to get started with experiential learning, book a demo with our team. You can stay connected with Riipen through our Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook, or subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter, the Riipen Report.

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