16 GEORGIANVIEW FALL 2023
Kendra Sewell (class of 2019) had a plan – it just took
some time for it to come together. First, she needed
to find the right path.
After high school, she took some time off and finally
decided to register in Georgian's Design and Visual
Arts program (now known as Jewellery Design, Bench
Skills and Business. It didn't go well. Until suddenly, it
did.
Kendra said she wasn't really academically oriented,
but she persevered at Georgian and made the Dean's
List.
"The first few months were hard and I questioned
myself every day, if I was good enough for this
program," she recalled. "Eventually the classes
clicked, and I placed first in my first year of the judged
annual Scholarship Show. This blew me away as I had
no idea of my own potential."
She also credits the financial support she received
from Georgian's scholarship and awards program
during her studies. They not only helped to ensure she
could make ends meet, but also emboldened her and
boosted her confidence. With that came motivation as
she began to think of jewellery as her calling.
"Georgian opened my eyes to
the world and opportunities
around me and made me want
to reach beyond my means and
dream bigger."
set in stone
With the path ahead now clear, Kendra took
goldsmithing as a second program at Georgian. Gold,
with a melting point of 1,064oC, has become her
favourite metal to work with.
"Georgian opened my eyes to the world and
opportunities around me and made me want to reach
beyond my means and dream bigger," she said. "It all
came down to applying myself and reaching for every
opportunity."
Entrepreneurial classes provided the foundation for her
business which she's built into a brand.
Just four years out of school, Kendra works diligently
to promote her Barrie-based company, Kendra Rose
Jewellery, which specializes in affordable handcrafted
fine jewellery. She was a finalist in The Grand
Pitch Competition with Georgian's Henry Bernick
Entrepreneurship Centre and she's been building her
business since.
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Story behind the number: The melting point of gold is 1,064 degrees Celsius.
Watch as Kendra explains how jewellery is her calling
