Natalocks

School and children are not easy to handle.

Attending post-secondary studies is no easy task. Balancing school, work, and taking care of others are hard to deal with.

Just ask Tuwauna Hibbert. She is a full time student and mother of a two-month-old son named Ethan.

She is enrolled at in the Public Relations advanced diploma program at the Humber Lakeshore Campus.

At the age of 23, Tuwauna is a very ambitious woman. Her activities include working part time at Metro and running her own promotional company of Luxy Nightclub with spouse Devon Hagley.

“Devon always pushes me when I feel like I’m not capable. He keeps me going and always puts me in check when I’m coming off my road to success.”

She has a goal to complete her internship at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment centre or West Jet Airlines.

Tuwnaua shares her motivation behind her studies.

Father Devon Hagley and his son Ethan

“My motivation is Ethan. I want to be the best mom for him. I want him to look up to me and whenever he feels down or discouraged about something, he can always say “My mom never gave up so I won’t either!”

Gaining a post secondary education to create a steady income to support one’s family is ideal. Creating a brighter future for a child’s life is the main goal for parents. The constant juggle of finances.

Santasia Burgess is another inspirational mother and a full time student. Her son is named Amari and is four-years-old.

She’s in her second year studying in the journalism print and broadcast program

“Many people stereotype young parents with children. There is a negative notion with students with children have a poor work ethic. That is definitely not the case.”

The single mother label sometimes draws a negative connotation. What should be said is hard working, resilient and inspiring.

“In all factualness, we’re the best multitaskers since we have motivation, our child or children.

For Santasia, she only speaks positivity and sees the light at the end of the tunnel.

Tiffany Fraser, daughter of a full time Humber student

The info graphic is a description on healthy eating. Kind of like a guide to healthy eating an exercise. We have all been in a situation where its a struggle to choose the right type of food. Exercise is another obstacle to get over.  Some tips are given for the what kinds of food to stay away from.  This is not a topic to be taken lightly, a very serious topic. Included are facts on the average Canadian obesity rates, which are alarming.

The food we intake affects our overall health. Having a balance of good dietary habits with regular physical activeness can extend a persons life. Consider the Canada’s Food Guide and Public Health when looking for ways to eat and for tips on exercise.  Its provided by the Government of Canada and its a free and useful service.

Instructor Shakera Martin and her class post workout

Humber College’s fitness programs can help in getting rid of that last 10-pound spare tire.

And a good workout helps in relieving stress while getting fit at the same time.

The “We are Fitness” campaign at the North and Lakeshore campuses aims to engage students’ minds through physical activity.

The fitness centre is a state-of-the-art facility open seven days a week so students can swim, exercise or attend a group fitness class in one of the dance studios.

The centre also provides services such as nutritional assessments and personal training.

Students and staff can take advantage of discounted exercise plans. There is also a certification for fitness leadership program.

Carnival Spice and Urban Dance Fusion are classes, taught by instructor Shakera Martin.

Categorized as Caribbean fitness classes, they take place on Thursday nights between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the North Fitness centre.

Martin’s classes focus on strengthening and toning bodies with a fusion of soca, dancehall, Afrobeats, hip hop, Latin and chutney music. Learn the latest Caribbean dances while breaking a sweat.

“My motivation to become a dance fitness instructor at Humber is because I have passion for helping others reach their health, wellness, and social goals, she says. Its great to connect with the different people from my community.”
Area resident Dawn Boonstra joined Martin’s class and it motivated her to start planning for next summer. She left sweating with beats from the wonderful music running through her head.
“Vibes! It’s the best workout I have gotten in a while. Getting my summer body ready from now,” community member Dawn Boonstra said after her first group fitness exercise.

Martin continued on by describing her class setting.

“My classes provide a space for participants to bond, grow, and have fun with their peers! Being supported through your journey while enjoying what your doing is a key to staying motivated in fitness. “
Humber graduate and exercise expert Richard Rollocks, who has more than 25 years in the fitness world, runs a local personal training practice out of his boutique gym.

“Physical fitness is very important, especially for students, he said. “Having a balance of eating well and being physically active is the best way to stay healthy.”

Canada’s Food Guide recommends adults exercise at least 2 ½ hours day/week, and it could be moderate.

My involvement into the journalism world…. Here is how it unfolded…

The journey starts before my days at Humber College. Before my love turned into a journalistic feel, it was a love for English, arts and the media. I found myself choosing more art based subject for my optional courses. They resonated with me more than the science, technology or math courses. In grade 11 I took a media arts program to fill my schedule. The course and teacher really had a great effect on me. Later on, I switched to two different schools. At the time, taking any course to finish school was the objective.

My love for journalism was created when I attended George Brown College. I had been out of school for a while and need to upgrade before attending post secondary studies. There was one communications prerequisite to completing the course. It was my favourite and I noticed I putt all my dedication and hard work into the course. I left the program with a 90% in English and 71% in math. I have never had these kind of marks ever in all my years of school.

In my years I have in enrolled in a Say Word Magazine events also known and Verse City programs. Through those summer programs the members went on a number of trips and studied many streams of journalism. We explored Edwards gardens and took photos with a DSLR cameras, spent five days at Ryerson University working with the final year journalism students on a project, visited the York University radio station. Those events were impactful for me coming from the small town of Scarborough.

After all my experiences, I have finally narrowed it down to the stream of journalism where I would like to focus on. Radio journalism has really sank in and gave me a good feeling. I would love to be a radio co-host to a urban radio station talking about meaningful topics.

Hopefully I can have a career is some kind of communication, English or multimedia scene of Toronto.