Kimberly Almeida has just graduated from the Information Technology Solutions program and is reflecting on her time at Humber Polytechnic.

Almeida, who came to Canada from Dubai, had heard many good things about a Humber education and decided to apply.  

From almost the first minute Almeida arrived at Humber, she immersed herself in the experience.

“I really wanted to make the most of my student journey and one of the ways to get involved was extracurriculars,” she said.  

She joined the student union IGNITE and spoke about what a positive experience it was being an advocate for her peers. She was part of a group of IGNITE and College Student Alliance members that travelled to Queen’s Park where she spoke with MPPs about issues of importance to students.

Her time with IGNITE proved valuable as she gained important skills, such as leadership and financial literacy, that Almeida says will serve her well in her future career.  

Almeida is passionate about the environment and that’s why she joined the Office of Sustainability as an ambassador. In her role, she helped spread the word about Humber’s sustainable initiatives while assisting at events.  

She got involved with First Year Experience as a Student Life leader and a peer mentor, volunteered with the Spirituality and Wellness Centre and was a member of the Student Advisory Committee with the Student Wellness & Accessibility Centre on the Humber Healthy You campaign.  

Almeida also found a part-time position as a classroom support worker assisting students living with a disability.

“I was able to do a lot while keeping up with my studies, which was a good learning experience,” said Almeida. “When I came to Canada, I felt that I was also coming to find what I wanted to do in life and my purpose. I knew what I wanted for a career but who exactly do I want to be as a person? I was able to find that out and that I have a passion for helping others through being involved in the community.”

“That’s why it was so important to connect with the community – I want to be inspired by others while also inspiring them,” she continued.

She says building a community at Humber helped her and she feels it can benefit other students experiencing post-secondary for the first time. She made plenty of friends and learned a great deal from them along with others in the Humber community and Almeida says it’s all because she got so heavily involved on campus.  

For example, she participated in Map the System. It’s a global competition run by Oxford University that tasks students with addressing global issues by first studying them to gain a deeper understanding of the problem, its broader context and how it connects to other problems, which is a process known as systems thinking. She also took part in the AWS DeepRacer competition and the Centre for Innovation in Health and Wellness’ Health Innovation Challenge. These experiences provided students with valuable skills that can contribute to their employability.

She also spoke highly about the various supports and resources Humber provides to students and said having an academic advisor to turn to when she was having concerns with balancing academics and time management was extremely helpful.

Almeida said that she took the initiative to get involved in the many different events, organizations and extracurriculars Humber offers beyond academics and that made her post-secondary experience more memorable.