Graduating from the Honours Bachelor of Business Administration (Human Resources) program on June 12 is bittersweet for Kristen Boccia.
Though she’s excited to start a new journey and grow her career in human resources, the St. Catharines resident said she’s going to miss “the great memories, experiences, and opportunities that the college has brought.”
This will be Boccia’s second time crossing NC’s convocation stage; in 2019 she graduated from the Child and Youth Care program. But after learning more about human resources, she said she knew it was the direction she wanted to take.
“Starting in child and youth care, I had a passion for helping individuals, understanding the needs of others, and identifying problems and solutions,” Boccia said. “After learning more about the HR field, I found it aligned well with my strengths, and that I could carry skills and traits learned in my previous program.”
Like so many others, Boccia spent two years at NC in a virtual classroom. It was hard on staff and students, she said, but her professors found innovative ways to engage students.
Once she returned to attending classes in person, she welcomed the opportunity for hands-on learning.
“With all the great hands-on learning through lectures, co-op, and extracurricular activities, it helped grow confidence in my abilities and starting a career,” she said. “The small class sizes made it easy to get to know classmates, and it allowed for great communication with professors who also provided great support. Kristine Clark and Holly Catalfamo [were] a huge help in my HR career and professional journey.”
Being on campus also gave Boccia a chance to get involved with extra-curricular activities, including being co-president of HR@NC, a club run by HR students at the College.
In addition to giving HR students the ability to socialize, the club provides opportunities for members to network with HR professionals inside and outside of the College. It hosts events that give insight on different areas of human resources, too.
Boccia also travelled to Ireland and Portugal in her final year as part of the Be World Ready (BWR) program. The experience helped her decide which aspect of human resources would best allow her to bring positive change to an organization.
“Ireland was a business-specific trip where we attended lectures at Munster Technological University (MTU) that discussed various topics in HR. Both Ireland and Portugal had items on the itinerary that immersed students into the culture. These trips both led me to want to start a career in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).”
A one-term co-op placement in the College’s HR department gave Boccia a chance to apply the knowledge she’d learned in the classroom to the workplace. She’s since moved on to working at the City of Welland, first as an HR student and now as an HR Assistant.
And that’s just the beginning.
In the fall, Boccia plans to get her Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) designation from the Human Resources Professionals Association, which sets the national standard for excellence in professional human resources management.
“I am looking to continue challenging myself and have continuous learning throughout my professional career,” she said.
Congratulations to Boccia and to all graduating students this week!
