Simone Mekli has always been interested in just about everything. From welding to web design, her collection of Continuing Education (CE) courses at Mohawk College reflect her varied palette. 

Before coming to Mohawk, Mekli attended the University of Ottawa for a year and then finished her degree at Western University, earning a B.A. in Political Science. She remembers being in her third year of university and thinking about completing another year. While she valued her time spent in university she was ready for the next chapter. 

After deciding this early in her third year, she gained a student employment position in the Communications and Publications Department. It was her first time working in marketing and public relations and she really enjoyed it. Mekli remembers thinking, “I could do this for a career and love my job.” She began researching public relations programs at different colleges and eventually decided to attend Mohawk for the Public Relations graduate certificate program.  

While Mekli was a student at Mohawk, she held a Campus Student Employment Program (CSEP) position with the Marketing and Recruitment Department. Upon graduating, she was hired on a contract basis and worked in the department for just over a year. At the time, she didn’t know much about the CE courses Mohawk offered but was encouraged to check them out.  

The first CE course she took had her building shelves for a few Saturdays at the Stoney Creek Campus. Mekli, along with three male students, spent the days cutting and threading pipe and beating up wood until they had built beautiful shelves. The course took her creativity and love for completing DIY projects to the next level. This is also when she began to see CE courses as a great way to gain a competitive edge in her career.  

Since graduating, the 23-year-old says that taking CE courses has helped her on a professional and personal level. For example, an introduction to HTML course gave her a great advantage when working with web designers by allowing her to speak their language and better explain exactly what she wanted.  

Taking CE courses has also elevated Mekli’s creativity to a new level. She says that before taking the courses, most of her projects were simpler, but now she is able to do things like build furniture for her family and friends. “I love my free time and being able to take advantage of it. I find it keeps me centered and balanced in life,” she says. “I see taking these types of courses as an investment in myself and my happiness.”  

Mekli is currently working as the Marketing & Communications Coordinator at Mohawk College Enterprise and continues to take CE courses through the college, because, as she says, “I love learning and can’t foresee a time when I decide I’ve learned enough.” 

By: Alex Hughes

This story was originally published in Fall 2017 of the Mohawk Alumni In Touch magazine.