Flexibility, support and pride are words that come up very often in the mouths of students and graduates of TÉLUQ University. Portrait of five of them.
“The staff is very attentive to the students”
Anne-Sophie Nasser has studied all her life, until 2020. “I got married very young and dropped out of school. I did odd jobs, but I always studied, ”says the sixty-year-old. She started by going to the benches of the university. “Going back to school after work with two children at home was time-consuming and exhausting,” she says.
In 2010, she discovered TÉLUQ University. “It saved me from going to class and doing teamwork. There’s always someone who doesn’t work, and it was me who ended up doing it for him! says the one who liked the support given by the university when she fell ill and had to put her studies on hold. “I was granted an extension to complete my bachelor’s degree in business administration. I had a lot of support from the person in charge of my file; the staff is very attentive to the students,” she underlines.
Distance learning enabled Anne-Sophie Nasser to achieve a goal that she had at heart. “Finishing a baccalaureate was a goal in my life, which I am very proud to have achieved,” she says, delighted to give her two daughters a taste for studies at the same time. One of them has just finished her bachelor’s degree with TÉLUQ University, which encouraged her a lot. When my other daughter came to my graduation, it also made her want to go to college. »
“I didn’t want to move to town”
Cassiopée Dubois could write a study guide at TÉLUQ University. Since her first registration in a short undergraduate program in educational intervention in 2004, she continued with a bachelor’s degree in communication and is currently studying for a master’s degree in education. “I didn’t want to change my life, move to town to pursue my studies,” explains the resident of a rural region of Chaudière-Appalaches. Now distance education is in demand, but “back then, in 2004, I was a bit of an alien! she says.
If she devotes at least four to seven hours a week to her studies, Cassiopée Dubois is grateful for the flexibility offered by Université TÉLUQ. “I can maintain my autonomy and self-direct my studies. I have tools and guides to help me, but I don’t follow a pre-established model and, ultimately, I decide when I do my work and at what pace. When she gives herself two weeks of vacation, she catches up on them as she wishes.
Today an educational designer at the Center d’expertise en santé de Sherbrooke, after having notably held positions as a techno-pedagogue and in communication, Cassiopée Dubois has progressed professionally in harmony with her studies. “As soon as I signed up for a program, I put it on my resume and I was able to get jobs I might not have gotten,” she says.
But Cassiopée Dubois leaves time to obtain her diploma. “It’s not a race! I study because I want to, so my goal is to do it smart and love the process,” she says philosophically.
“TÉLUQ University has shaped the professional I have become”
Daniel Lanteigne admits it himself: he has difficulty staying seated for a long time in a class. “If TÉLUQ University didn’t exist, I probably wouldn’t have my bachelor’s degree today,” says the senior consultant and director of business development at BNP Philanthropic Performance.
Two training courses in organizational communication and human resources complemented a first certificate in service administration obtained in evening classes at UQAM, allowing her to obtain her bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2014. “Certificate after certificate, they m’ gave me access to different positions in my organization and immediately put my teaching skills into practice,” he says. For someone who is also a certified human resources consultant, “TÉLUQ University has been a great laboratory, both educational and practical, which has shaped the professional that I have become”.
University studies at a distance require tenacity and discipline. “The graduates of TÉLUQ University develop a good sense of organization and time management, underlines the expert in human resources, for whom these skills have become key. Being able to navigate with different projects at the same time and knowing how to manage priorities are among the great skills sought in organizations. »
Daniel Lanteigne insists on the value of distance education, an area in which TÉLUQ University was a pioneer and developed its expertise before other universities followed suit. “I’m not embarrassed to say that I did my bachelor’s degree at TÉLUQ University, and I’m even proud of it! he declares.
“Since my registration, my vision has gone further”
Marie-Eve Ampleman says it right away: she starts from afar. “When I entered the job market, I started in hairdressing, where I set up training, before entering the field of collective insurance”, says the one who is now a trainer at the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ).
It was in this position, during the pandemic, that she felt the need to train. “We had to rethink our training courses at lightning speed, which allowed me to get hands-on in designing and transforming our deliverables,” she says. She then decided to enroll in a short graduate program in education (distance education) offered by TÉLUQ University. “I didn’t have a university degree, but the university recognized my work experience acquired over the years,” she says.
Marie-Eve Ampleman, who has been studying between 12 and 15 hours a week since the summer of 2021, has started the third course in her program. She has already been able to put some knowledge into practice. “There is theoretical work, but also a lot of work in action in the second cycle. I was able to design tools that serve me in my work at the RAMQ, in particular a guide on the basics of teaching that will be used in our service for new trainers”, says with joy the one who encourages others to get started, whatever or their age. “I went back to school when I was 45. Everything is possible ! she says.
This experience means that today, she sees her future differently. “Since my registration, my vision has gone further,” says the one who would like to continue her journey to master’s degree. It takes discipline and structure, but TÉLUQ University made me discover a passion for studies. »
“We give it back a hundredfold”
Jean-François Charpentier had a DEC in human sciences when he was hired in 2004 as a recruiter in an employment agency. “That’s where I discovered my passion for human resources and leadership,” says the man who wanted to go back to school at the time, but who had just had his first child. “I couldn’t see myself going home after my work to leave after an hour at university. »
He therefore chose to take advantage of the flexibility offered by TÉLUQ University to follow several distance certificates (in human resources management, administration and finance), thanks to which he was able to obtain a Bachelor of Arts in 2014. taken one to two courses per semester, three semesters per year (fall, spring and summer). I studied on the weekends, in the evening or early in the morning, which always allowed me to continue working full time on the side,” he says.
His 10-year career at TÉLUQ University has given him all the necessary skills to occupy his current position as Associate Vice-President of Human Resources at TD Bank Group. “My role today goes beyond recruitment and gives me the opportunity to address all aspects of human resources. There is a strategic component that I like very much, describes the one who appreciated the support of professors and lecturers at TÉLUQ University, as well as the diversity of the programs offered. There are experts in virtually every field. »
To follow this decisive training in his career, Jean-François Charpentier was also able to count on the support of his employer through a tuition reimbursement program. “It is highly appreciated by the employees, and we give it back to our organization a hundredfold through the expertise that our training courses allow us to acquire”, maintains the vice-president.
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the To have to, pertaining to marketing. The drafting of To have to did not take part.