It’s a tired cliché: a little girl grows up dreaming of a career in animal care because, well, dogs are loveable and cats cuddly. That stereotype needs to meet Christine Archer.
“I am an unabashed reptile nerd and fish nerd. I love non-mammals in general and will talk about them at length,” says Archer, who graduated from Algonquin’s Veterinary Technician Program in 2009.
It’s not that Archer doesn’t love cute, furry mammals — she counts three rescue cat among her beloved “critters” — but her respect for animals is so much broader. It is founded as much on a keen interest in science as on natural empathy. Read more >
Emilie McKay’s advanced diploma in Massage Therapy from Algonquin College has taken her in directions she never imagined. The skills and techniques she learned in the three-year program opened the doors, she says, but it was the self-assurance instilled by her college professors that allowed her to push through.
“The most important lesson I learned through Algonquin was to take any opportunity that was presented to me,” McKay says. “I’ve been very fortunate to have had a lot of opportunities in my career so far. Having that drive and confidence that Algonquin created for me meant that I’m not going to close these doors; I’m going to keep them open and see where they take me.” Read more >
Four years ago, Jaiveer Singh Bawa had a newly minted degree in architecture, his own firm, and was busy designing luxury homes in northern India. “But it wasn’t driving my passion,” he recalls.
Bawa had written his undergrad thesis on sustainable architecture, and couldn’t get the challenges it presented out of his head. Read more >