Meet the 2011 Valedictorians

Eman Deria

Seneca College valedictorian Eman Deria, Public Administration - Municipal, speaking at her June 22 Convocation ceremony at Newnham Campus

Scarborough-resident Eman Deria has been selected as valedictorian for Seneca College’s convocation taking place on Wednesday, June 22 at 10 a.m. at the Newnham Campus (1750 Finch Avenue East, Toronto).

Eman is the first to admit that she never really knew what to do with her life. She was working full-time for Fidelity Investments Canada when the recession hit and by early 2009, she and her colleagues knew there would downsizing at the company.

She decided going back to school was the best option and began researching programs offered at universities and colleges in Ontario. She attended Seneca’s Business Administration program when she was younger and decided the college was worth a second look. She found the Public Administration – Municipal diploma program and felt she found her passion. Coincidentally, the Ontario government introduced the Second Career program around this time and Eman qualified.

The mother of five-year-old daughter, immigrated to Canada with her family 20 years ago from Abu Dhabi. While she found it challenging to return to school, she is passionate about providing services to the community, and improve upon the services that helped her family when they arrived.

She is hoping to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy at the University of Toronto in the fall.