University of Guelph-Humber

It’s been just a few months since Brandon Ferguson came to the University of Guelph-Humber, but already, he feels like he’s found the right place for him.

Ferguson, a first-year Media Studies student, always liked learning about his interests independently after hearing about them in class, and since he’s been at UofGH, he’s found a learning style that suits him. The University’s mixed approach of theory and practice means he gets both the why and the how-to.

 “The professors here are really good at piquing your interest. They might show you a cool photography technique, but then it’s up to you to go practice it,” he says. “One of my instructors told me that it’s not her job to teach me, it’s her job to guide me to the resources I need to teach myself.”

With that in mind, Ferguson hasn’t wasted any time taking his learning into his own hands. On an average day, he and his floor mates in residence are taking over their common room to do video editing and he’s taken ample advantage of the video equipment available to Media Studies students.

“I remember seeing the media cage and just being blown away. Within the first week, I’d signed out seven pieces of equipment — my room was full of lights and cameras,” he says with a laugh.

When he isn’t making blockbusters on his own time, Ferguson is learning his craft from course instructors.

“The biggest thing that’s spoken to me since being here has been my interaction with professors. You get to have a one-on-one connection with them; they recognize you, learn your name, it’s fantastic,” he says. “They treat the students like we’re learning to be professionals and they want to help us be our best.”

Ferguson is getting a head start on his professional life while he’s at UofGH too. Since September he’s been working with Recruitment and Admissions as a videographer. He’s sharpening his skills, getting work experience, and earning some cash too. His current project has him working with two upper-year students to make a recruitment video that showcases UofGH for future students.

“I’m the rookie on the team, so it’s really cool to work with people who have more experience than I do,” he says. “It also means I get to be in a professional setting with bosses and deadlines. I’m learning to balance it with my schoolwork, so it presents a unique challenge, but it also helps me build my portfolio.”   

Back when Ferguson was choosing which university to attend after high school, the more he learnt about UofGH, the more it felt like the right decision. He liked the close-knit community feel, he liked that it was all on one campus, and he loved that he’d end up with a degree and a diploma.

“You’re not pigeonholing yourself into one thing and that appealed to me,” he says, adding, “I also liked that it hadn’t been around for hundreds of years. It means you have the opportunity to blaze paths, do new things and create something, rather than just rely on what’s already there. You can come out saying ‘this is what I did to make this place better.’”  

He says that those opportunities to make something new are what make UofGH a truly unique institution, one that he’s looking forward to spending the next three and a half years at.

“You come to UofGH and it’s your launch pad,” he says. “It sends you to opportunities in leadership, media, and elsewhere. You’ll get professional connections and build a portfolio. Your experience here is like clay — you can mold it into whatever you want it to be.”