Community connection
I interviewed my dad, he works for FedEx Trade Networks. He is the manager of his office and makes sure all the air freight/ocean freight gets to where it needs to. I chose to interview my dad because he inspires me. He came from a poor situation with almost no options and made it out, worked hard and is now successful. He is also the hardest working person I know, he does everything to the best of his ability and always try to go above and beyond. My dad doesn’t like asking for help from people so everything he does, he usually takes care of himself and always does a great job. What I need to learn from my dad is to stop procrastinating because he never does. Whenever he gets assigned to do something or wants to do something, he gets it done right away. Hope you enjoy our interview.
Why are you passionate about your job or role?
“Every day is different in the transportation world. You face a lot of different challenges when moving freight from one country to another and, I find it remarkably interesting to see how global trade affects each country’s economy. My job has a real purpose as freight needs to move to keep countries running. It is important when you think about it.”
What obstacles have you faced to get to where you are today?
“Growing up in South Africa work opportunities are very scarce. You must work hard to keep your job and there are not a lot of options to change careers. I learned that nothing comes easy, you must work hard and stay focused to succeed in your goals.”
What advice would you pass on to someone interested in what you are doing?
“One of the most crucial factors in transportation is communication. Always make sure you understand what needs to be done, what the clients want and make sure all parties involved know what is needed to arrange the freight successfully. “
Would you be open to further contact from Riverside students if so, how can someone contact you?
“Yes, via email johann.wozencroft@fedex.com”
Why did you choose the job/role you do now?
“I started in transportation as a part-time job while I was studying, and I quickly learned there is a lot more to freight forwarding than I had anticipated. I enjoy thinking ‘outside the box to find solutions to arrange the transportation of cargo from one country to another. This made my decision to have freight forwarding as my career a natural fit.”
Did you have any inspirations to do what you do or was it more self-motivated?
“It was all self-motivation to succeed in my role and a lot of hard work.”
Overall, I really enjoyed learning about my dad more. I liked hearing how he got into his job here are some of the things I learned. One of the things I learned from this interview is that you can always make good out of a bad situation and no matter what you should always try your hardest. My dad in his job helps people and manages them, if they need help they ask my dad and I want to do something like that when I’m older. I also learned that nothing comes easy and you have to try. For instance, how he was able to come to Canada and become successful isn’t easy. I also learned that I have to have a better work ethic like my dad because he knows if he has to do something he should get it done as soon as possible and not put it off. Again I really enjoyed interviewing my dad and hope in the future I can do a project like this again.