Class of 2018: Continuing Ed grad pivots his career to meet the new economy

With close to 700 Continuing Education certificate grads this year, there’s a lot to celebrate. Earlier this week, almost 150 of these graduates crossed the stage at the Red and White Club to receive their Continuing Education certificates. One of those students was Ghazi Hallab.

Hallab landed in Calgary in 2014 equipped with a finance degree and an MBA from his home country. It was a tough time to be in Calgary, as it was the beginning of the economic downturn. Hallab recalls going door to door with his resume only to find people with boxes on their desks, and being told the company was closing shop that same day. It was a discouraging time for many people.

Hallab volunteered in roles outside his comfort zone and it was through his contact with Immigrant Services Calgary that he learned to apply for jobs, as he says, “the Canadian way” — through LinkedIn and other digital platforms. It was during this time that he had an epiphany of sorts.

“My total vision changed,” says Hallab. “I recognized that I like being here,” referring to Immigrant Services Calgary, where he is now employed. To help get a leg up in his new career he pursued a Continuing Education certificate in career and academic advising, and this week he joined his fellow grads at the Continuing Education graduation ceremony.

“This certificate is especially meaningful to me because it’s the first certificate I earned as an immigrant in Canada,” he says.

Lifelong learning award goes to Mona Amery

In addition to celebrating certificate graduands, Continuing Education recognizes several students with awards and scholarships, including the Continuing Education Lifelong Learning Award.

Established in 2016 as part of UCalgary’s 50th anniversary, the award is presented to one student, selected by a committee, based on the student’s history of lifelong learning. This year, Mona Amery was recognized for her commitment to lifelong learning by completing more than 700 hours of Continuing Education courses during the last 10 years.

Continuing Education has been part of the University of Calgary for more than 50 years and has helped more than 14,000 students graduate from a certificate program to date.

Students, families celebrate commitment to learning

“I’m always thrilled when our students and their families take time to celebrate their achievements and their commitment to lifelong learning,” says Sheila LeBlanc, director of Continuing Education. “We know that university continuing education helps people learn and grow, personally and professionally.” 

As the city and province come out from under the recent recession, universities play a significant role in positioning our city for the future. “We are well positioned in Continuing Education to help our community pivot to face the new reality of our economy. We are agile enough to quickly respond to the learning needs of our students and our community, and we’re working on some exciting programming at this time,” she says.

Meanwhile, Hallab and his wife take in the moment to celebrate his success in their new home city.