Humber International Alumni Success Story: Mariocsy Ocando

Home Country: Venezuela
Humber Program: Global Business Management
Date of Graduation: November 2015
Current Job: Export Coordinator, Nella Cutlery and Food Equipment Inc. 

I’ve never been one to shy away from embracing new challenges in my life, and moving from my home country of Venezuela to Canada was definitely one of them. Despite completing a Bachelor’s program in Industrial Engineering, I knew that wasn’t to be my calling in life, so decided to follow a completely new career path, which brought me to Humber College to study Global Business Management; a move that turned out to be one of the best decisions I could have made.  

As with any big decision in life, adapting to a new country and culture was not that easy in the beginning. Everything was different – from the food to the weather and public transport. It was a month after I started my course that I felt really comfortable; nevertheless, I had a lot of support from my family and classmates, who are now great friends.

Why Canada? Well it’s a very diverse country, home to hundreds of different cultures, which was a big plus in my eyes. At first, I chose Humber solely based on its facilities – particularly the great opportunities and guidance for international students like me. Once I got to know the faculty and staff, my expectations were exceeded. One things for sure, Humber knows how to implement a CRM system!

My transition to Humber College could not have gone more smoothly. Since everything was new to me, every aspect of the orientation period was unique. I loved the fact that the coordinator of our program and the professors took the time to get to know each and every one of us and made us feel really welcome.

What I liked most about the Global Business Management program was the range of different subjects on offer. For example, you can learn about Finance as well as Marketing and Canadian Law. I believe it is a very complete program and the best part was that it gave me the opportunity to really get hands-on industry experience, which is, in my opinion, really valuable.

Outside of the classroom, I volunteered for a range of events, such as the Annual Canada Day BBQ of the Hon. Joe Oliver in 2014 and it was a wonderful experience. It also gave me a chance to network with important people who helped me secure my first internships.

Right from the start Humber made me feel special, heightened by the fact that had been awarded an entry scholarship. This pushed me in a good way to excel in my classes, to be motivated in the mid-term and final tests, and ultimately showed me that I can achieve my goals no matter how hard or difficult they may seem at first. 

All in all, Humber helped me to get through my program in a very smooth and positive way and set me up with life skills that I can now carry throughout my career. I feel that I have developed a strong ability in communication, analytics, adaptability, leadership and time management. To anyone else thinking about making the decision to leave home and make the leap to Humber College, I will say this: Enjoy every second of it as time certainly flies when you are busy. Be organized – it may sound obvious, but don’t leave everything to the last minute – and lastly, never doubt that you will make it; trust yourself.