When Alya Alhalabi arrived at Algonquin College at 19, she was grieving the loss of her father and navigating life alone in a new country, far from her home in the United Arab Emirates. She had no family in Canada and lived independently, moving between rentals and trying to find stability while studying full-time.
Alhalabi landed in Canada to begin again, seeking a community and roots beyond the classroom. She chose Algonquin College for its reputation with hands-on learning, gaining much more along the way than she initially expected.
Despite how vulnerable she felt at the time, the College became the place where she grew into the person she is today — a woman, a leader and a passionate advocate for public safety and emergency management. Beyond her Bachelor of Public Safety education, she also found a home. She was the only Emirati student on campus, yet she never felt alone. Alhalabi credits her professors — Graham Newbold, Mario D’Angelo, Ian Knowles and Dominique Germain — for believing in her and playing a pivotal role in her growth. Her classmates became her family away from home.
