For graduating students, June means a chance to walk proudly across the stage, celebrating the achievements of the graduating class.
With each convocation session, attendees can listen and learn from the speeches given by executives, partners and most importantly, the valedictorians.
Negin Heidari was honored as the valedictorian for George Brown College’s (GBC) Centre for Arts, Design & Information Technology.
“It was like such an honor to be titled valedictorian. When I wanted to write my speech, I just wanted to bring whatever my personal journey has been, it might be like a bit different from anyone else… I wanted it to be in a way that other people could also resonate with and feel the same about it.”
Originally from Iran she moved with her family to Georgia, a transcontinental country in Eastern Europe and West Asia, before embarking on her international educational journey.
She applied to more than 30 universities in the US and three in Canada, ultimately choosing GBC after careful consideration.
Despite being accepted to several US universities with scholarship offers, Heidari was drawn to GBC for its renowned computer programming program, aligning with her passion.
Upon arriving in the country, she faced challenges such as balancing studies with work and encountered housing challenges, which led to a period of personal struggle and depression.
She went through all this alone with out the support of her family.
“I got depression because I was mentally under pressure. Because I didn’t want to put too much pressure on my parents… But yeah, I had to pay like the whole amount at once… I had to also work way more. And I was getting distracted from my education. I was getting demotivated about everything that I’ve done. I even wanted to go back home and give up on everything. Because you never know. It’s like a hard journey to like, handle everything,” Heidari said.
Over time things began to improve for her, and she became satisfied with her decision to stay the course.
She now looks toward the future and carrying out the plans she had.
“And my ultimate goal is to be an influential person for my homeland. And I think right now I want to have an institute, when I get to that level to teach people that can’t afford education for free. And aside from that being like successful person for myself, and the way that my parents can be proud of me, because they’ve been always very supportive.”
She expressed gratitude to those who supported and inspired her, including her family, boyfriend, and a particular professor at GBC, Andrew Rudder, who had a profound impact on her.
“He’s (Rudder) been always in our journey like pushing us forward. And whenever the opportunity would pop up, he would always let us know. I participated in many competitions. And it was all because of his willingness to share it with us. Also, he puts too much effort into each student, he is curious, he is genuinely curious about his student’s success, and he’s very humble. And not only in my major, but also like, in real life. He’s been a role model for me. And I think whatever knowledge, experience and whatever that I have, that I can take it to industry is because of him.”
Heidari’s resilience and determination ultimately saw her through these challenges, culminating in her role as valedictorian and inspiring others with her journey of perseverance and personal growth.
