Grad found her footing at Douglas

Melissa Sigouin says starting with University Transfer courses at Douglas allowed her to build her confidence before heading to SFU to complete her BBA - Human Resources and Entrepreneurship.

Melissa Sigouin recalls her first day back at Douglas College to begin her current job as Client Services Assistant in Employee Relations.

"I remember Allan Matadeen, who had taught me at Douglas and then at SFU walked into Employee Relations and did a double-take," she says.

To Sigouin, the fact that Matadeen recognized her was a reminder of how instructors at Douglas regard their students.

"You get that extra attention. Your instructors know your name - you're not just a number," she says.

Sigouin first came to Douglas after having worked straight out of high school in Victoria. She knew she wanted a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and wanted to move to the Lower Mainland. After researching what was available, she liked what she found out about Douglas.

"I'd been out of school for a few years so I didn't want to leap into university right away. I also needed some prerequisites and found out I could get them at Douglas," she says.

Sigouin was happy she followed her instincts. "I like to participate in class. At college, it was less intimidating because classes were more discussion-oriented rather than lecture-oriented. The ability to participate like this from the beginning allowed me to carry over my experience to university and the confidence to participate in a bigger class," she explains.

"The entrance requirements are competitive at SFU so I had to work hard to get in. I was able to get a strong footing at Douglas," Sigouin adds.

After two years at SFU, she graduated, BBA in hand. (Douglas also offers a BBA Program with specializations in Accounting and in Financial Services and Administration). As her graduation drew near, Sigouin found out that the Employee Relations Department at Douglas was hiring. Initially, she hesitated to apply - she saw the ad in June, but wasn't graduating until August and was getting married after graduation. When the job was posted again a month later, she decided, "That's a sign."

Today, she couldn't be happier. "It's really nice to be back, seeing familiar faces from my days as a student. "

Published March 4, 2010

Links:

Information Sessions
University Transfer
More feature stories