L’Apéritif
My name is Yujia.
The short-hand is Jia, use it, your tongue will wear less of a frown.
I was born in Nanjing & raised in Shenzhen, China. I currently live in Toronto, Canada and during the summer time, I tend to live off passport stamps throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.
It’s a privilege to see the world, and I don’t waste a second of it.
L’Entrée
At a time when kids first learnt to skip class, steal a sip from the wine racks, and begged for shiny toys powered by Mr. Jobs – I was more fascinated by the bold slogans, manipulative logic, and artistic juxtapositions Advertising offered. I was interested, so I started studying the business through books, magazines, interviews, and well, people.
I had been a little over fourteen, and cherished every opportunity there existed to learn about the great lives on and beyond Madison Avenue. New York isn’t too far from where I live, so fortunately, I’ve always stayed inspired and motivated. The arts explain a huge part of my soul; I improvise on black and white keys, race through scales on my wooden pear (ie. y’know, the violin), design logos, sketch potraits, paint faces, doodle on exams, and shoot with Canon 450D or Minolta x370.
I’m a Chinese-Canadian and I hope to leverage my ability to speak and write fluent English, Mandarin, Cantonese (et un peu de français) to explore opportunities that connect both cultures during my careers. I also travel extensively and learn almost all my insights from little observations and heartful interrogations. I enjoy educating and being educated, and youth-education is definitely something I’d like to pursue when I… when i age.
Le Plat Principal
I’m currently working towards a Bachelor of Commerce at Queen’s University in Canada with a concentration in marketing and minor in Art History. I’m extremely involved at school and have been an executive member of numerous organizations such as Creo Solutions Consulting, Commerce Review, Queen’s Entrepreneurs’ Competition, Queen’s Symphonic Orchestra, Queen’s Chinese Press, as well as the planning committe for the first TEDx conference at Queen’s. Prior to university, I’ve also taught piano privately at Arcadia Music Academy, Canada’s largest music school, as well I sat on the youth council of Art Gallery of Ontario, Canada’s biggest art museum. I take great initiative in pursuing my passions; my positive attitude and diverse experiences have helped me conquer some of the greatest challenges.
Le Fromage
From when I first got interested in advertising until now, I have to say the point of confirmation really occured during the Next Generations Event presented by Advertising Week Canada. The event, a new initiative by the Institute of Communications Agencies(ICA), provided an unparalleled opportunity for more than 200 young people to spend a day working away at one of the top 20 advertising agencies in downtown Toronto such as BBDO, Saatchi, and Ogilvy. I had the pleasure of collaborating with a team of aspirational peers alongside the lovely staff at TBWA. I was able to gain real hands-on experience developing a campaign for a charity and without say, loved every minute of it. As a final wrap to Advertising Week, The Ad Women of Toronto also held a Fashion Show hosted by Jeanne Beker that I attended. Again, the quality of the event was absolutely top-notch and was attended by many of the most prominent faces in the Canadian communications indstry, moreover, it provided fantastic networking and learning opportunities for those interested in a career in communications.
Le Dessert
Looking for something short n’ sweet? Download my résumé here.
Le Café
Conversations are my best inspirations. Tell me about your lightbulbs and maybe it will spark something gooood.