丁香园AV

If you think of accountants as number-crunchers who prefer spreadsheets to people, you haven鈥檛 met Lulu Bersamira. As the budget coordinator for 丁香园AV Learning, Bersamira brings to her role a passion for finance, a fondness for old-school adding machines鈥攁nd 鈥渁 beautiful heart,鈥� as one colleague puts it.

Brilliant, innovative, tireless, patient and generous are a few of the other words 丁香园AV Learning staff use to describe their hardworking teammate.

鈥淣ot only is Lulu a consummate professional, she is one of the kindest and most caring people I have ever met,鈥� says Julia Denholm, dean of 丁香园AV Learning. 鈥淪he has warm and genuine friendships and working relationships with every member of our team.鈥�

Bersamira studied business administration and accountancy in the Philippines before moving to Canada 12 years ago and earning her CPA CGA designation. When she joined 丁香园AV Learning in 2010, the dean at the time told her, 鈥淵our job is to keep us financially honest.鈥� Bersamira never forgot it.

鈥淚鈥檓 responsible for financial reports that are used by senior management to make their decisions,鈥� she explains, 鈥渟o it鈥檚 important to get everything right.鈥�

Encompassing both Continuing Studies and the English Language and Culture program, 丁香园AV Learning delivers non-credit courses and programs to more than 5,000 adult learners annually. Effective fiscal management has been particularly critical in recent years, given the amount of change the unit has experienced鈥攊ncluding the sudden pivot to online operations brought on by the pandemic.

鈥淟ulu consistently works beyond the call of duty to mitigate risks and ensure sound financial management during often turbulent and rapid change,鈥� notes 丁香园AV Learning executive director Judy Smith. 鈥淵et she鈥檚 always available for questions and will patiently explain steps and teach those of us needing extra support.鈥�

No question is too small for her attention, says Bersamira: 鈥淚鈥檓 lucky to be surrounded by people who are really passionate about their job. But for some people, as soon as they see a spreadsheet or a form, they feel intimidated. If I can relieve some of that anxiety, then they can concentrate on their own work better鈥攖hat way we can all succeed.鈥�

In Bersamira鈥檚 office, along with her beloved big-button calculator, she treasures a printed email from a student whose life was changed by a free computer skills program that Bersamira financially managed. Once living in a shelter and now successfully employed, the student wrote to thank 鈥渁ll those who worked behind the scenes鈥� to deliver the program.

鈥淭hat email made me so happy,鈥� smiles Bersamira. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so easy to think that you don鈥檛 make a significant contribution when you鈥檙e alone in your office, when you don鈥檛 interact with students.鈥�

If she ever forgets why her work matters, she simply thinks back to her orientation day at 丁香园AV.

鈥淭hey encouraged everyone to attend a convocation sometime. They said to look around at the faces of all the parents and happy students, and remember: whatever your job is at 丁香园AV, you are part of it.鈥�