Gina Andrea Varon Garcia has travelled further than most to land her dream job. 

At the beginning of 2020, Varon Garcia was working as an electrical engineer for an airline in Colombia. Varon Garcia enjoyed the travel and tourism industry but wanted more opportunities to work directly with customers.  

"I was always curious about customer service in my last job since I didn't get to work with passengers," said Varon Garcia. "I like helping people."  

At the time, Varon Garcia was living in Colombia with her husband and their daughter, and she hadn't given much thought to taking her career in a new direction.  

Then the pandemic hit, and Varon Garcia took it as a sign to make a change. 

"My husband and I worked for the same airline. It was really affected by the pandemic, and we started to look at other options," said Varon Garcia. 

Varon Garcia wanted a fresh start, so she and her husband began looking for opportunities outside of Colombia.  

"We talked to friends about the opportunities in Canada and what it's like for children. Our daughter was our driving force," said Varon Garcia. 

Once they decided to move, Varon Garcia began looking for academic programs so she could find a travel and tourism job in Canada. Varon Garcia asked a friend about Humber and liked what she heard.  

"I asked her about her experience: the teachers, courses — everything. She gave me a very positive impression of Humber. I think it was the best decision I've made," said Varon Garcia. 

While she was still in Colombia, Varon Garcia enrolled in Humber's Tourism – Travel Management diploma program and began taking online classes. Varon Garcia thought this program would be an excellent way to combine her experience with big-name airlines and her desire to work with customers. 

"The program related to my last job where I worked on the back end of things, but now I could be the face of the operation," said Varon Garcia. 

The Tourism – Travel Management program is two years in length and offered through the Faculty of Business. Students participate in experiential learning opportunities and networking events as part of their travel and tourism courses while they acquire industry-specific certifications. After three semesters of in-class learning, students take part in a work placement at an airline, travel agency, tour group or destination management company. For her placement, Varon Garcia worked as a Customer Service Agent with WestJet.  

"I really loved working for an airline back in Colombia, so when I saw the WestJet opportunity, I knew I couldn't miss it," said Varon Garcia. 

Varon Garcia liked her new position as it allowed her to work closely with customers. She spent her placement working at Pearson International Airport, assisting departing and arriving passengers.  

"I helped people check in at the kiosks, with their proof of vaccination, and their baggage. I have also been at domestic arrivals to help people when they've lost their luggage," said Varon Garcia. 

While Varon Garcia always enjoyed helping people with their problems, she admitted assisting frustrated passengers could be challenging. 

"When people lose their luggage, they come to you upset, but I try to understand them. They don't expect the airline to lose their luggage," said Varon Garcia. 

Fortunately, Varon Garcia's Humber courses prepared her for this situation. 

"I had a course called Customer Service Excellence training that taught me how to interact with customers. I learned to empathize with them and not to take things personally," said Varon Garcia.  

After learning so much from Humber and WestJet, Varon Garcia sees a future in Canada’s travel industry and wants to work in a management position at WestJet once her placement ends.  

"I liked everything about this position. I saw this opportunity as my trampoline to get experience in the Canadian travel industry. I've already applied to a position similar to what I'm doing here." 

Learn more about the Tourism – Travel Services Management diploma program at Humber.