Aizza Abria is an international student from the Philippines who arrived here last August for the fall term. In her third term at NorQuest, she is a Business Administration student who completed her co-op as an HR/Recruitment Administrator with the Good Samaritan Society from May to August 2023. While she still mentioned a delay in adjusting to her second winter, it hasn’t stopped her from excelling in her work integrated learning (WIL) placement. Her skills and confidence grew so much during her WIL experience that she was hired on a contract after completing her co-op!
Already a holder of degrees in Psychology and Guidance and Counseling, Aizza worked as a university counselor in the Philippines for 16 years, and credits this to enjoying talking to people and being sociable.
Aizza chose NorQuest after hearing good reviews and feedback from within the Filipino community about NorQuest College. The agency she worked with shared reviews from a current student, and she was drawn by the affordable courses and the accessible location in downtown Edmonton. She grabbed the opportunity to study again despite the stresses of emigrating to a new country and going back to school. She noted Canada and its culture is an exciting experience for her children, two in junior high and one in kindergarten. She’s finding it interesting having new experiences with her family.
Aizza noted that co-op boosted her knowledge, applying what she’s learning in class to her job as a recruiter while it’s still fresh. The experience improved her time management, work organization and soft skills like communication.
Applying for co-op experience was a good decision to land a job that is relevant to what I'm currently pursuing. It’s practice to build skills and meet different kinds of people. The work-life balance is amazing. We get a flexible schedule to work from home and in person. I'm so thankful because I am learning a lot about the recruitment process in Canada.
Her day-to-day tasks include the entire recruitment process from posting on various job boards covering Northern Alberta, hiring for clinical and hospitality positions, conducting interviews, doing reference checks, reviewing certifications and connecting with different hiring managers. She expressed finding joy in helping people land their dream job and helping organizations find the perfect candidate.
Aizza also recently joined a team of NorQuest volunteers at the airport to welcome newcomers to NorQuest and Canada, showing that she is becoming a confident ambassador for NorQuest.
“You just must be determined and work hard. No one else can help you but yourself” she says with a smile.
Aizza's supervisor at Good Samaritan Society, Leslie Cashman shared: "Aizza is incredibly friendly and personable and always willing to help where she can. Her smile brightens the office, as does her sense of humor. She is hard working, and ensures no matter what she is doing that she does 100% of her best every time. Aizza learns very quickly and is very diplomatic in her dealings. I know she will make an Excellent Human Resources Processional in her future career and we are proud to have her here at the Good Samaritan Society. We offered Aizza an additional six month extension of employment from the program. With the experience we have had with the two NorQuest Co-op students we've worked with, we could work with the NorQuest program sometime in the future."