HUMBER BUSINESS FACULTY MEMBER VOLUNTEERS AT MONGOLIAN UNIVERSITY
August 14, 2017
Sanjukta Das, a Business Placement Advisor at the Humber School of Business, could have spent her annual vacation relaxing at the beach, sightseeing abroad or reading a good book. But, instead, she decided to convert her three weeks of relaxation into an exciting, meaningful and life-changing experience.
Working with the Leave for Change program, Sanjukta travelled to Mongolia and volunteered at the Mongolian University of Science and Technology (MUST) as a Youth Employability Skills Training Advisor.
Leave for Change is a program that is a part of Uniterra and is managed by two non-profit organizations: World University Service Canada (WUSC) and Canadian Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI). Humber College is partnered with Leave for Change and sponsors full-time Humber employees to participate and volunteer their expertise around the globe.
During her tenure at MUST, Sanjukta conducted nine workshops with final semester students. She taught them marketing, interviewing and networking skills, as well as how to transition from university to the job market.
Along with meeting an amazing cohort of eager, bright students, Sanjukta met with twenty Mongolian recruiters from the government and private sectors. She shared with the group her knowledge of hiring best practices and techniques in Canada.
By far, the highlight of Sanjukta's stay in Mongolia was the MUST Networking Breakfast Event. The event saw HR heads from twelve different organizations, including several banks, come to the MUST campus to meet graduating students. Sanjukta was able to see her hard work and instruction pay off, as students mingled and introduced themselves to business professionals. In fact, eight students gained employment out of the conversations they had at the event.
Overall, the event felt like deja vu to Sanjukta, as it was very similar to networking events held at the Business School.
"Leave for Change has re-energized and reinvigorated my role as a Business Placement Advisor on a deeper level," said Sanjukta about her volunteer experience. "I myself am surprised how totally immersed I was into a new country and culture, and how much I learned from the experience of others and also about myself."
Congratulations to Sanjukta on this amazing work, and thank you for volunteering your time and knowledge to such a vital, worthy cause.
