Humber College is helping its students experience learning around the world while immersing themselves in a new culture and making friends as part of its Global Opportunities offerings.
Humber provides global learning opportunities for students, which compliment Humber’s mission statement to develop global citizens with the knowledge and skills to lead and innovate.
Humber offers a range of global experiences on campus, at partner institutions around the world and virtually through Semester Abroad, Summer Abroad, Work-Integrated Learning Abroad, the Humber Global Summer School and COIL – Global Virtual Exchange. There are also faculty-led trips.
Not only do the students get to see a part of the world they might not have visited before, they also develop skills such as adaptability, collaboration and critical thinking. Participating students also earn academic credit, work experience, or Co-Curricular Record to add to their resume.
“Truly transformative experiences”
“We’re giving our students an opportunity to really immerse themselves in a new culture and explore new places while enhancing their intercultural communication skills and expanding their global network,” said Stephanie Byer, manager, Global Learning and Engagement at Humber. “There are many skills that students will gain from these opportunities that will continue to benefit them beyond the classroom. These are truly transformative experiences for our students.”
Kaylyn Lau has a passion for travel. So much so, that the international opportunities Humber offers to students was a deciding factor in Lau’s decision to enrol at the College.
Lau is currently studying Event Management and has been accepted in the Bachelor of Commerce – Management Studies program this fall.
“A big reason why I chose Humber was because I wanted to study abroad and they have such an expansive program,” said Lau. “Humber makes it so easy for you and it’s really accessible.”
Lau took part in a virtual Summer Abroad program in 2022 and earned an academic credit for a course on “Sustainability and Biculturalism” offered by Te Pukenga/Otago Polytechnic in New Zealand. This summer, Lau will be traveling to Vietnam for three weeks for an elective course co-taught by faculty at Humber and academic partners in Hanoi and Danang.
Lau will have classes at the National Economics University and the University of Danang along with experiential learning opportunities and weekend site visits, field trips and community services guided by faculty and local experts. Her family roots are in Vietnam and it’s an opportunity to return to a country she hasn’t visited since she was a child.
The deadline to apply for the Summer Abroad program is February 26 and the deadline to apply to Semester Abroad is March 5.
“What we’re hearing from many of the students who take part in these opportunities when they get back is a desire to go abroad again,” said Phuong Anh Pham, Global Learning Coordinator at Humber.
Students tout the benefits of global experiences
Santhosh Attavar is a Media Communications student at Humber who has taken part in faculty-led trips and the Summer Abroad program. His advice for students considering taking part – don’t miss out.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Attavar. “You get to go to a new country and see a different part of the world and learn about the culture while earning a credit.”
Through Humber, Attavar has travelled and earned academic credit at post-secondary partners in Finland, Croatia, Austria and the United Kingdom.
“The experience in Finland sparked something in me and made me want to continue to travel and learn,” said Attavar.
As a student with a limited budget, Attavar said Humber makes global learning opportunities accessible.
Humber’s Global Learning Bursary provides financial assistance for all students engaged in approved study and work abroad experiences. Funding is made possible in part to by Global Skills Opportunity, the Government of Canada’s Outbound Student Mobility Pilot Program.
“In an increasingly globalized world, study and work abroad programs are essential international learning experiences that ensure students are culturally literate, resilient and adaptable,” said Denise Amyot, president and CEO, Colleges and Institutes Canada. “Global Skills Opportunity equips students to remain competitive in today’s global marketplace.”
Kristen Simpson is in the second year of the Bachelor of Creative Advertising program. Her interest in the Summer Abroad program was piqued when she saw one of Humber’s partner institutions was Nottingham Trent University – a university she had applied to before enrolling at Humber.
While she developed skills and enjoyed the academic aspect of the program, she also made friends she remains in touch with to this day.
“I definitely gained academically and socially from the experience,” said Simpson, adding as a peer mentor last semester she shared details of the program with other students.
Simpson is impressed with the amount of global opportunities Humber offers and added it is substantially more than other post-secondary institutions she had attended.
Explore your global learning opportunities at Humber by emailing studyabroad@humber.ca.