Careers in Teaching Alumni Panel invites students to explore education pathways
UTM held its second annual Careers in Teaching Alumni Panel, inviting students to explore the many pathways within education.
On October 22, the Careers in Teaching Alumni Panel welcomed back University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) alumni from various educational career streams to inform students that there is no single path into teaching. The Career Centre and Literature is Alive! hosted the event in room MN3230 of the Maanjiwe nendamowinan building, with support from the Departments of Language Studies and English & Drama.
Attendees gathered in a relaxed, round-table format as faculty and panelists shared their personal career journeys, discussed the realities of working in education, and offered advice to students considering the field. A networking session followed, allowing students to connect directly with professionals and learn from their experiences.
Fourth-year student Neha Dhillon, an English and sociology major and member of Literature is Alive!, co-moderated the evening. She explained that the event’s purpose was not only to showcase career options, but also to remind students about the various career paths within education.
“Sometimes it gets overwhelming trying to figure out where you want to go,” Dhillon said. “Having real examples of people in those fields shows that there isn’t one linear path to teaching—there are teachers of all kinds.”
The panel featured five UTM alumni working in diverse areas of education. Among them was Garth Ngo, a first-generation graduate who now teaches second grade with the Peel District School Board, and Nancy Del Col, an education specialist at World Vision Canada who supports educational programming across multiple countries.
Another panelist, Laura McKinley, the universal design for learning and accessible pedagogy coordinator at the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre, spoke about the importance of connecting academic learning with real-world application. “There’s often a missing piece between what you do in the classroom and what you end up doing afterward,” said McKinley. “Events like this act as a bridge—they help you take what you’re learning at university and move it forward into a career.”
Several faculty members in attendance echoed the importance of these opportunities for students. Leigh-Anne Ingram, a professor in the Education Studies program who supported the event, reflected on how such experiences weren’t always available when she was a student.
“When I was in undergrad, I didn’t have many events like this to help connect me to potential future career pathways,” said Ingram. “I wish I had chances like this on campus where I could have learned the nitty gritty of some jobs and meet people from different organizations and learn more about their work.”
The event attracted about 70 students, a turnout that reflected a growing interest in education-related careers. For some, the evening helped clarify their professional goals, including Jasneet Mundae, a fourth-year biology and psychology double major who recently decided to pursue teaching.
“I’ve gone through a huge change myself—I did a 180 into teaching,” Mundae said. “I wanted to know how people get into teaching and what different experiences look like. The diversity of the panel stood out—there was something for everybody.”
Throughout the evening, organizers encouraged students to scan QR codes that linked to information sheets about each panelist detailing their credentials, fields of study, and professional experience. This feature helped attendees identify which speakers to connect with during the networking session, where conversations between students, professors, and alumni centred around shared academic and career interests.
The networking session ran later than planned, but organizers said the extended discussions were a sign of success.
For Assistant Professor Julia Boyd of the Department of English & Drama, the event’s lead organizer, seeing those exchanges take shape was the most rewarding part of the evening. “For me as a professor, one of the greatest joys of being able to help organize an event like this is to see those connections form and see all of this amazing work that’s happening on campus,” she shared.
By the end of the night, students and faculty alike agreed that events like this are essential in allowing students an inside peek into real-world career expectations, which are vital for guiding them and providing the tools they need to make well-informed decisions about career paths.
That shared message carried through the evening, as nearly everyone involved—whether hosting, moderating, or attending—encouraged students to take advantage of such opportunities.
“For any students who are reading this… take the step to go to one of these events,” said Boyd. “You’ll be surprised by the amazing connections you’ll make and the sense of community that you’ll be able to build.”
