People of Georgian: International alumnus embraces ‘new life’ at college

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The Georgian community is full of unique, inspiring perspectives —and we’re sharing them as part of an ongoing series.

People of Georgian: Meet Rhithul Roythomas

My mother told me, “You can’t predict your future.”

She was so right.

A person stands at the edge of a lake with a hilly forest in the background. — *Rhithul loves travelling.*

When I got accepted to Georgian, I got all my things ready, packed my suitcase… but then I couldn’t leave for Canada because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was so disappointed and sad. As time went on, I worried I’d be at home for the rest of my life and not be able to study in person.

But after 1.5 years, I finally came to Canada.

Making friends helps launch Rhithul’s ‘new life’

It was a totally new experience for me. At first it was really difficult because wearing face masks and keeping your distance from others was encouraged, so it was hard to meet new people.

Eventually I made friends from my program, and that was the first step for me of creating a new life for myself.

A black-and-white image of a group of friends standing together in a kitchen. — *Rhithul says new friendships helped launch his new life in Canada.*

I also made lots of friends through playing soccer. I’m a die-hard fan of football, well, you call it soccer here, and we would go to tournaments throughout the summer.

Meeting all kinds of new people here, I’ve learned what real friendship is. A good friend should help you, stand with you no matter what, and think not just of your present but your future.

A group of people, wearing matching pink and blue soccer uniforms, pose on a soccer field with two trophies. — *Rhithul has loved playing soccer since he was a kid.*

Finding independence and giving back

Here in Canada, I also had to learn how to do many things for the first time, like cooking, shopping and washing my clothes. Back home in India, I didn’t have to do those things; everything was given to me.

It made me realize how much my parents struggled to provide for me, so I studied really hard. I wanted to give them back what they gave to me.

A person wearing a blue convocation gown stands in front of a backdrop reading "Georgian" and holds a diploma. — *Rhhithul graduated from Georgian in 2022.*

You can’t predict anything in your life. It just comes your way and you make the best of what it gives you. And, for me, Georgian College was the best decision I made in my life.

Rhithul Roythomas, alumnus of Georgian’s Computer Systems Technician – Networking program (class of 2022) and ONEcard officer.

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