York University’s School of Continuing Studies is proud to announce that Belinda Schuler Chin, graduate of the Post-Degree Certificate in Human Resources Management has been nominated for the UPCEA Mid-Atlantic Outstanding Continuing Education Student Award.
UPCEA – the University Professional & Continuing Education Association – is the leading body for professional, continuing, and online education which serves more than 400 institutions across North America.
The Outstanding Continuing Education Student Award honours adult, professional or continuing education students for excellence in the pursuit of educational goals. Among other qualifications, the nominee must have met the challenge of an unconventional educational background and effectively managed multiple commitments and responsibilities while engaging their education.
A 2016 graduate of the HRM program offered at the School of Continuing Studies, Belinda perfectly exemplifies someone deserving of this award.
Immigrating to Canada in 1999, Belinda’s professional career started in the non-profit sector, working with the Canadian Cancer Society in fundraising. Juggling family life, a new country and culture, and her career, Belinda graduated from York University with BA in social science.
She gained human resource experience after a promotion working with an engineering firm, and was immediately attracted to the profession.
“The HR role served as a platform to catapult my foray into the field, where I felt most comfortable applying my innate curiosity about different behaviours and motivation, my love for all things people related, along with my natural interpersonal and relationship building skills to contribute and develop talent and organizational excellence”, says Belinda. “The company offered me opportunities to become actively involved with our young engineers and students, and I was asked to spearhead the company’s mentorship program.”
In 2015, Belinda decided to continue to follow her career aspirations in HRM by applying and being accepted into the Post-Degree Certificate in Human Resources Management at the York School of Continuing Studies.
“The rapid pace of this certificate only served to whet my appetite and left a keen desire to not just practice HR, but I was determined to be a positive impact in the employment world,” says Belinda.
“I was convinced that this was the stepping stone to further extrapolate the learnings at the executive level with the intention of reforming the way HR conducts business, as well as creating awareness of the value of HR to a company, when done right!”
After successfully completing the post-degree certificate, Belinda has once again made the decision to continue her education at York University in the form of a master’s degree in human resources.
“What I really liked about the program (at the School of Continuing Studies) were the professors. They were not just your run of the mill professors, they were actually consultants in the real world practising HR,” says Belinda reflecting on her time at the school. “The great thing about the professors was that they are very encouraging. It was not simply coming and sitting in a lecture, it was actually getting involved in the mediation process. Given case studies, but not just case studies to read and take away, but case studies where we actually sat, practiced, debating against each other, and arrived at different conclusions.”
Belinda says continuing education is an avenue that all should consider pursuing.
“I think learning is definitely something that everyone should look at as a platform of continuity.”
