Sophia Aarons

International business student shines at NorQuest

NorQuest College is a place where education and culture meet in a dance worthy of the global stage.

For Sophia Aarons, a first-year international student from Jamaica, the NorQuest Learning Experience has transformed her life.

“I wanted to give myself a First World education and experience, and coming to NorQuest was a great idea,” says the business administration student who is focusing on accounting. “I have gained so much knowledge, and I am learning so much about different cultures. What I have learned here is invaluable. I can take it anywhere in the world and be able to survive.”

Far from home and in a different country, international students can often feel isolated. At NorQuest, where 60 per cent of students are born outside of Canada, the learning environment embodies diversity. Combine this with exemplary faculty who view students as partners in learning, and the value of a NorQuest education grows even more.

“I have developed on skills that I already possess, but they are so much better now.”

Aarons’ growth became publically evident in the winter of 2015 when she became part of a team of NorQuest students competing at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Awards in Calgary. She was the only first year business student to take part in the competition—a competition that has team members develop business scenarios and present them in front of judges. Despite her first-year status, she played a big role on a team that received high praise. The learning opportunity was priceless.

“I know now that when I graduate from NorQuest, whether I stay here or go back home, it will all work out,” she says. ”If I go home I will be able to move up several rungs on the ladder. But if I stay here, based on the knowledge and experience I am getting at NorQuest, I should be able to integrate nicely.”