Caly Macedo loves Toronto. While visiting the city on her recent honeymoon, she came to enjoy the area and decided to stay longer. Originally from Mexico, Macedo was working in the fields of chemistry and pharmaceuticals back home but was looking to take the next step in her career. And, during her time touring Toronto, she was introduced to Evergreen College.
“I knew this college had a good business program,” Macedo said. “I saw the possibilities they offered and decided to apply for studies.”
She was accepted into the Business Administration program at Evergreen College, and is currently three months into the program. With her chemistry background, Macedo says she’s well versed in a lot of the industry knowledge. But when it comes to her skill set, she says there is room for improvement.
“I have the basic knowledge,” she said. “But Evergreen College is helping me to develop my technical skills, and to learn about different applications and programs that are being used in business.”
Her hope is to leverage the knowledge she from her science background – coupled with her growing skillset from Evergreen College – to pursue a career in pharmaceutical sales (or related field) after graduation. But, she admits, she still has some learning to do on this journey.
“I need to work on my business skill set, including being persuasive and improving my communication and English language,” she said. So far, Macedo said her instructors have been a great influence in introducing her to the real business world in Canada.
“I’m learning everything about the business environment,” she said. Prior to enrolling at Evergreen College, Macedo admits she wasn’t well-versed in resumes, cover letters
and the types of qualities employers in Canada were looking for. But her instructors have been keen to teach students how to excel in these areas, including how to answer interview questions and the importance of body language.
For students like Macedo whose first language is not English, she says the curriculum and even the campus social events have helped her to improve. “My English at the beginning was not so good,” she said. “After just two weeks into my studies at Evergreen College, I was really able to develop my English conversation and improve a lot.”
So far, Macedo says the best part about her studies has been the novel way her professors teach in the classroom.
“They’re not like regular teachers with textbooks and that’s it,” she said. “The professors really try to introduce students to the real world of business with examples.” Outside of her studies, Macedo said she has been enjoying the student events that Evergreen College hosts, including a recent karaoke competition. She said these events were important for her when she was just beginning to integrate into the college community, and she noted that they also give her a chance to work on her English speaking skills and stay in touch with her classmates.
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