There were a number of factors that influenced Bobby Karmakar’s decision to attend Algoma U at Brampton. After completing an advanced diploma in Business Administration – Human Resources (co-op) from Centennial College, Karmakar embarked on a university degree.

Initially focussed on a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) with a Human Resources specialization, after taking a number of marketing electives he made the decision to specialize in both Human Resources Management and Marketing. Karmakar also holds a certificate in Professional Writing from Centennial College and a certificate in Creative Writing from the University of Toronto, School of Continuing Studies.

Karmakar reflected on his decision to enrol at Algoma University, “When I was in my last semester of college, I just turned 20 and my mom and step-dad, who live in Brampton, were the ones that said to go to university since they believed I would have more opportunity if I obtained a degree alongside my college diploma.” They also believed Karmakar was too young to enter the job market and he agreed.

Intimidated by the size of larger universities in the Greater Toronto Area, for Karmakar, Algoma University seemed like a perfect fit. After speaking with Richard Belton, an Admissions Advisor from Algoma U at a university fair, Karmakar attended an open house at the Brampton campus and the rest, as they say, is history.

Karmakar, who has resided in Toronto his whole life, frequently travelled to Brampton on the weekends to visit his mother and step-father. Algoma University was the right size and it was ideally located for Karmakar who still finds time to visit the campus, as he works nearby.

Karmakar serves as the Administrative and Membership Services Coordinator for The Downtown Brampton Business Improvement Area (BIA). “Working in a BIA, especially in the area where I went to university, is such an exciting opportunity to not only represent being an Algoma U alumni but to be able to prove that with my degree, I am able to demonstrate my experience within our district as a whole.”

“When I did cases and wrote marketing or business plans for evaluations, I found it exciting and fun. Now, I’m able to actually implement that at my workplace with my team and collaborate just like I did in school,” acknowledged Karmakar of how Algoma University prepared him for his career.

Karmakar recounted his experience representing Brampton at the 10th Annual Northern Ontario Business Case Competition as one of his most memorable moments. He also paid tribute to several professors and classes that helped him to find both academic and professional success.

Looking to the future, Karmakar continues to grow his professional network and hopes to become a published author. Karmakar also has high hopes for Algoma University. He would love to see continued expansion of both campuses and the addition of continuing studies, which served him well in his professional development.

Karmakar refers to himself as a lifelong learner and shared, “Attending Algoma not only enhanced me, but also made me more aware of my capabilities, and crafted me with different and more tools in my skillset; both in my profession, as well as a person. That journey is one I will never forget and also one to remember as I continue to learn.”

Karmakar described his experience at Algoma University as, “An inclusive and challenging journey that was worth every moment. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Okay, maybe there could have been things that would have been done differently, but I’m a big believer in things happening for a reason. My experience was one of them, and lead to securing my current employment position,” where he continues to proudly represent himself and Algoma University.

Written By: Jessica Ferlaino

Samuel Jok Awan Chiengkuach has found refuge in Canada. The 36-year-old has lived in Canada since 2000, after fleeing the continent of Africa and civil war, which displaced him and his family when he was only a young boy.

Chiengkuach was born in South Sudan. From his earliest days, he yearned to be educated, and learned lessons beneath large, billowing trees in his native country. “We were often interrupted when the blackboard was occasional[ly] blown away by a strong wind,” he tells the Class of 2016 at this year’s Algoma U at Brampton Convocation ceremony.

From Grades One – Three, Chiengkuach learned beneath the trees. However, his education was interrupted in 1983 when the Khartoum Government began carrying out aerial bombardment in the region, causing the eruption of the Second Sudanese Civil War, one of the longest civil wars in history.

Fearing for his life, Chiengkuach fled to a neighbouring Ethiopian refugee camp in 1987. But civil unrest followed him. “There were no facilities in term[s] of shelters, we had to build our grass-thatch houses ourselves. I lived with a large group of unaccompanied minors until 1991 when… Ethiopia went to war which also cut our studying short … and then we fled back to Pochalla town in South Sudan. We began to regroup ourselves and started education again in this Internal Displaced Refugee Camp (IDP).”

However, war erupted in Pochalla and the town was captured by the Khartoum Government, forcing Chiengkuach to a new town called Narus. The journey to Narus was more than a 400-kilometre walk.

In 1992, the war intensified and aerial bombardment was constant in Narus, forcing Chiengkuach to relocate to Kenya, where he began his Grade Five education.

Unable to cope with the constant danger, Chiengkuach finally left Africa for Canada.

“The amount of suffering for me and so many people was unthinkable and hard to explain, especially [because] war got many of us separated from our immediate families in our early age and so many lives [were] lost in just 21 years of conflict,” he recalls via e-mail.

On 9 January 2005, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, known as the CPA, was signed. Years later, on 9 July 2011, Sudan split into two separate countries, North Sudan and South Sudan, ending the civil war.

Upon arriving in Canada, Chiengkauch looked to earn a professional education, different than the one he had become accustomed to. “I never had the opportunity to actually go to a regular classroom just like a normal child would in Canada. Learning under these difficult conditions, meant that students had to struggle to achieve academic results.”

Chiengkuach attended Humber College in Toronto to earn his Accounting Certificate and then later his Accounting Business Systems Diploma, before enrolling in university.

He first put his sights on a larger Southern Ontario university, but just days prior to the start of classes, Chiengkauch felt uneasy about the size of the university and his class schedule, which would interfere with his parental duties to his three children, Chiengkuach, Yom, and Aleer, and his wife, Viola. He instead enrolled at Algoma U at Brampton. He cites the “small classes, flexible schedule, and a small community of students, and above all the ‘Big Education’” as his reasons for choosing the smaller institution.

Within just two years’ time, Chiengkuach earned his Honours Bachelor of Business Administration degree with specialization in Accounting and Human Resources Management. He built solid relationships while studying and was characterized as being a “people’s person”, always offering help to others and helping build a solid community at the post-secondary institution. He was also given the honour of delivering the Convocation Address at his graduation in the fall of 2016.

Chiengkuach is currently employed with 3M Canada Head-Quarter in London, Ontario as a Vendor Payment Coordinator. He has worked as a Management Accountant, Community Accountant, and Chief Accountant with various employers in Ontario.

He encourages others to always seek further education and to never stop learning. “The challenges under these circumstances, which [I] learned, and unfortunately under which some children are still learning in our world today, has engrained in me a strong belief in the value of education. I value every opportunity to learn and this goes beyond [w]hat is obtained in a regular classroom setting, to seeking mentorship, as well as listening and sharing with everyone I associate with.”

Born in Nairobi, Kenya, Francis Muli moved to Brampton in his teens. After years of travel and study, Francis earned a diploma in Business Finance from Sheridan College, later enrolling in the Bachelor of Business Administration program, minoring in Accounting, at Algoma U, Brampton.

Three things attracted Francis to Algoma U at Brampton: convenience, cost and continuity. Convenience because it was very close to home, and cost because having paid for his education with a student loan, Francis wanted the best value for the money.

Francis added, “Continuity because Algoma U valued my college education more than other schools did. I had advanced standing in my undergraduate studies and the hard work I put into my college diploma was not disregarded.”

Francis took full advantage of what he described as a world-class teaching staff and an interactive, welcoming campus at Algoma U at Brampton. Much of what he learned at Algoma U at Brampton has been directly beneficial to his professional experiences.

Though it took a great deal of hard work on his part, Francis credits professors James Hicks, Peter Ostroski, and Kier Munn, for the role they played in his academic successes. Francis recalled the memorable opportunity to represent Algoma U at Brampton, at the Northern Ontario Business Case Competition in 2014 and the impact that experience had on his professional development.

A year and a half after writing his last exam, Francis walked into his dream job as Financial Analyst at Freshbooks. Only the beginning of what will be a long and successful career, Francis is currently pursuing his CPA designation, with plans to continue his education in the MBA program of his choosing.

He hopes to see the Algoma U at Brampton campus grow in the future, expanding their course offerings, and continuing to provide students with great academic and professional opportunities. “I am proof that Algoma U at Brampton is a very good school.”