Erick graduated from Pathways Hamilton in 2018, where he developed personal confidence and discovered a passion for athletics. Today, he is completing an advanced diploma in marketing at Mohawk College, working as an intern at Pathways Canada, and looks forward to a career in sports marketing.
When Erick graduated from high school, he was proud of his school grades, and the personal growth he found through the Pathways Program and extra-curricular sports. “Pathways really helped me with my social skills and gave me the courage to get out of my comfort zone” Erick explains. “I would look forward to going and having conversations with people that had something in common with me.”
Deciding on the next step of his education, however, remained a challenge. “I was getting into the programs I was applying to, but I still didn’t know what I wanted to do,” he recalls.
One thing Erick knew was that he loved sports. In fact, one of his favourite memories from Pathways involved athletics. “Pathways gave me the opportunity to visit McMaster University,” Erick recalls. “I met the head of the Athletics department, toured all the facilities, and played a few sports. As someone who had always enjoyed athletics, this experience is something that I really enjoyed.”
So when Erick encountered some challenges in university after graduating from high school, he decided to face them with the resilience and confidence of an athlete. Between a program choice that didn’t quite fit his interests, a long commute, and expensive tuition, Erick decided he had to change course.
With clear goals in mind—to get practical experience and a high-quality education close to home, with lower tuition—Erick enrolled in the Marketing program at Mohawk College the following semester. “In college courses, you’re dealing with clients in real world scenarios. That was a very good selling point for me, because I wanted to reach my goals as quickly as possible, while still learning a lot.”
Erick now looks forward to his final year of studying leading up to his advanced diploma. Through his internship at Pathways Canada, he’s also expanding the communication and networking skills he discovered as a high school student at Pathways Hamilton. For someone like Erick driven by an athletic mindset, continuing to develop these competencies is key. “Others helped me develop these skills in high school, but there’s room for growth. You never quite end up mastering a skill.”
Erick is full of dreams for the future, but his true strength is turning them into reality through concrete plans. It’s a skillset that he first picked up in sports and at the Pathways Program but keeps growing every chance he gets. “No matter how young or how old you are,” Erick explains, “having a plan of action helps. It helps you realize what truly matters to you, and that’s the first step to becoming a better person.”