Finding inspiration from graduates working in the industry

Humber’s Alternative Dispute Resolution program invited alumni to share their career journeys with current students at the ADR Town Hall career networking event

By Chris Clay on
Reading time:
A person standing at the front of a room is speaking to an audience that is watching and listening.

Graduates of Humber Polytechnic’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) post-graduate program returned to their alma mater to share some advice and insights with learners enrolled in the program.

Mary Lee is a professor and program coordinator with the ADR Ontario Graduate Certificate program who organized the event on November 14. Lee said hearing from the graduates was inspiring for the three cohorts of students in the program.

“The graduates sharing their journeys gave the students a real boost and affirmed to them that they had made the right choice by enrolling in the program,” said Lee.  

Lee noted the last time they hosted an in-person career networking session was back in March 2020.

The speakers were:

   • Sofia Carelli, Youth Justice Committee Coordinator, Associated Youth Services of Peel;  

   • Joya Mukherjee, Supervisor, Community Crisis Response Program;  

   • Greg Owens, Labour Relations Manager, CMHA Thames Valley Addiction & Mental Health;  

   • Silvia Sansoni, Early Resolution Specialist, Patient Ombudsman;

   • Harangad Singh, Barrister and Solicitor, Kazandji Law;  

   • Natasha Stewart, LLM Candidate, Privacy and Cybersecurity Law;

   • Sonali Thaker, Senior Business Consultant, Ministry of the Environment;  

    • Dalton Wilson, Legal Assistant, Legal Services, City of Mississauga.

A group of people stand in a row as they pose for a photo.

“It was such a pleasure getting to return as an alumnus to speak with current ADR students,” said Owens. “Thank you to all the students for their excellent questions about my work and the winding path I have taken to get to this point.”

ADR student Carolina Puglia said the town hall highlighted the program’s commitment to fostering connections within the conflict resolution industry. Puglia called it a “truly enriching” event.

“Attending the ADR networking event with alumni was a great experience that really opened my eyes to the wide range of opportunities ahead,” added ADR student Kimberly Joubert. “As a first-semester student, it helped me find direction and gave me a clearer sense of how the skills we're developing now will be invaluable as we move forward into the workforce. Being able to network with both current students and alumni was incredibly helpful as it provided insights into different career paths and how these connections can play a key role in shaping our future success."

A person standing at the front of a room is speaking to an audience that is watching and listening.

Also attending was Derek Stockley, Humber’s associate vice-president, Academic; James Cullin, associate dean, Longo Faculty of Business and Mary-Anne Popescu, executive director of the Ontario Association of Family Mediators. The students also heard from James Maloney, Member of Parliament for Etobicoke — Lakeshore.  

The guests also shared with the students about how the skills they have acquired in the ADR program are sought after and relevant in a variety of industries.

Find out more by visiting the ADR program webpage.