I graduated from the Business – Sales and Marketing program in April 2025.

I knew I wanted to come to Canada to study, so I did my research and found Niagara College with a very accessible tuition and a suitable program. Due to my previous professional experience, the program aligned with my professional goals in Sales and Marketing.

I explored the College reputation, location and, overall, it felt like the right place for me. At that time, I didn’t yet know that Niagara College was Canada’s No. 1 College in Research. When I learned that later, it confirmed that I had made the right choice.

I worked as a Business Research Assistant for the Business and Commercialization Innovation Centre (BCIC) within the Research and Innovation (R&I) division. I started the role during my second semester in February 2024 and continued until I graduated in April 2025.

During my time at BCIC I helped small- and medium-sized businesses through market research and development of marketing strategies. Projects included: promotional planning; target market identification; market research; marketing plans; competitive analysis; and integrated marketing communications. Thanks to this position, I fulfilled my internship requirements and met my graduation requirements.

I am currently working in a Sales Support position at Fastenal Canada. I support one of Fastenal’s most important customers. My main responsibilities are assisting with sales and customer service, performing product sourcing, managing sales and inventory, as well as placing and fulfilling orders. One of my main goals after graduation was to secure a full-time role within six months, so I feel very fortunate that this opportunity came relatively quickly.

At the moment, I am focusing on sharping my professional skills and gaining more experience in the industry while continuing my studies in French. In the long term, I would like to grow into a managerial position. I can see myself in a role where I can use my trilingual abilities in Spanish, English, and French.

Sales and supply chain have been central throughout my professional journey, and I’ve discovered that I really enjoy supporting teams and solving problems in these areas. I also thrive in environments where teamwork and multicultural collaboration come together.

My experience with Research and Innovation truly complemented what I was learning in the classroom. My leaders and colleagues were incredibly supportive, patient, and talented. I sometimes joked that I felt like I was working with “superstars” because I would see their faces on campus advertisements and around the college.

The biggest difference compared to my first semester was having the opportunity to apply classroom concepts to real business situations. Implementing ideas in real projects is a completely different experience from discussing hypothetical cases in class.

Every project was a new challenge. One of the most demanding aspects was developing unique solutions for each situation. Personally, I always enjoyed the research process and designing presentations to communicate the findings.

This experience strengthened both my technical and soft skills. I improved my abilities in data analysis, communication, and project development, and it also increased my confidence in my own capabilities.

More importantly, my role at R&I helped me develop stronger critical thinking and decision-making skills. Often, we had to analyze large amounts of information, or sometimes very little, and still move forward with clear recommendations. One important lesson I learned is that too much information can create confusion and delay action. Developing the ability to find clarity within scattered or incomplete information is something that truly comes with experience.

Every project left a mark on me in a different way. During my time there, I had the opportunity to work with businesses across a wide range of industries, including IT, greenhouse operations, non-profit organizations, non-alcoholic beverage companies, startups, and other local businesses.

Working with such diverse sectors made each project unique and allowed me to understand how different industries approach challenges and innovation.

I feel fortunate to have many great memories from my time at Niagara College. One of the best parts was meeting people from all around the world and building friendships with classmates from many different cultures.

I also enjoyed participating in various NCSAC events, which added a lot to the student experience. One particularly memorable opportunity was participating in the Be World Ready program and traveling to Georgia. During that trip we visited historical sites, made new friendships, and learned about the economic, cultural, and infrastructural importance of the wine industry in the region. It was both educational and a lot of fun.

I am grateful to all the professors I had at Niagara College, but if I am grateful in particular to Monique Finley, Paula Reile and Helen Duffy.

Monique’s classes were engaging and enjoyable, and she also created opportunities for students to connect directly with companies (Fastenal in my case) that actively recruit talent from colleges. That exposure to industry was extremely valuable, and I truly believe it played an important role in helping me reach the position I am in today.

As for Paula and Helen, they were my mentors during my time at BCIC. I can’t tell you how much I learned from them. Their guidance and experience are the vertebral column of the department. I am thankful for all the support I received. I not only learned marketing from them, but I also learned leadership.

Take advantage of everything Niagara College offers. There are many resources available; NCSAC, scholarships, networking events, and programs like Be World Ready, and they can truly enrich your experience.

Plan your courses carefully (especially if you are an international student; did you know that if you have a bachelors you can apply for equivalence for some subjects?), get to know your professors and classmates, build relationships with them. They can become mentors and become valuable professional connections.

If you have the opportunity to connect with a company through the college, take it seriously and make the most of it. Try to start gaining work experience before graduation, if possible, preferably in your field.

And if you’re searching for a job and facing rejection, keep going. Persistence matters. Show organizations that you are genuinely interested in being part of their team, and don’t be afraid to go the extra mile, think out of the box. Sometimes you may feel that no one is noticing your effort, but many people observe quietly behind the scenes. Those efforts often pay off.

Since graduating, I have learned a lot about myself. After finishing college, I moved and began a new stage of my life that has been somewhat more independent and, at times, a little lonelier. During college I was constantly surrounded by classmates and friends, and now I see many of them less often because of distance.

Building a new community has been challenging, even though I consider myself a very social person. Like many international graduates, adapting to this new phase comes with personal and emotional challenges. At the same time, it has been an incredibly rewarding journey. When I look back, I feel proud of everything I’ve achieved so far, and I am excited about the milestones that still lie ahead.

Throughout my time in college and in the three jobs I held during that period, I feel that I developed several key skills, particularly adaptability, emotional intelligence, decision-making, and strategic thinking. These are skills that are valuable not only in professional environments but also in everyday life. Seeing how much I have grown through these experiences has been very meaningful for me.

I really enjoy learning. At the moment, my main focus is improving my French, and in the future, I would also like to study Japanese.

Outside of that, I enjoy watching series and movies, working out, and spending time with friends

One of my proudest achievements has been getting hired by the company where I wanted to work. The role has been both empowering and challenging, which are exactly the qualities I was looking for in my professional career.

On a more personal and creative note, I also organized a Thriller dance flash mob in Toronto for Halloween, which was a very fun experience.

I think I would write: “Heal the World. Make it a Better Place.”

Today more than ever, it feels important to reinforce universal values. It’s striking how concepts that should be fundamental, such as respect, tolerance, solidarity, equality, and peace, often seem to be missing from many areas of society. A reminder that we can change the world.

I’ve been watching Black Mirror. Each episode makes me wonder whether we are really that far from the scenarios and technological futures the show presents.

I really enjoyed Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. The level of historical detail in the world design is incredible. The map, the architecture, and the atmosphere of ancient Greece are almost hallucinatory in how immersive they feel. And of course, I always played as Kassandra.