ETOBICOKE – Extramural volleyball and recreation staff standout, Nina Erceg-Gogic, is using the transferrable skills that she developed outside the classroom to support current advertising initiatives for local companies.

Erceg-Gogic started at the University of Guelph-Humber in 2013 as a student in the Business Accounting program and immediately joined the extramural volleyball team.  This decision would help to shape the playing and learning experiences that would unfold over the course of the next five years.

When returning for the second year of her academic program, the Toronto native began working in the Athletics Department, as a member of the Campus Recreation Team.  She held the role of intramural volleyball referee initially, but quickly moved into other roles as an office administrative assistant and a tournament operations assistant.  Within those roles, there was plenty of opportunity to improve transferrable skills in communication, problem solving and time management, which she uses to her benefit in her daily life.  She was awarded the Mike Gonder Outstanding Staff Award in 2017 for her dedication to a variety of experiential learning opportunities.

When not in class or working, Erceg-Gogic was helping to lead the extramural volleyball team on the court.  She played for four seasons, eventually being named a team captain.  She was the team’s most dedicated player in the 2016-2017 season, the same year that she was also named as the Extramural Athlete of the Year and received the Campus Recreation Award of Distinction for commitment and contribution to the continuity and sustainability of the volleyball program.  She credits her involvement with the volleyball team with the opportunity to develop a balance between work, school and sports.  She was also able to create lasting friendships.

Erceg-Gogic graduated with an Honours Degree in Business Administration from the University of Guelph-Humber and a Diploma in Business Administration from Humber College in 2017, and returned to complete a Post-Graduate Certificate in Advertising Account Management during the next year.  She also returned to the extramural volleyball team, this time in a coaching role.  She was able to use her experience during the previous seasons to help the team bond and improve their performance on the court as well as handling much of the administrative duties for the team.

Currently, as an account manager at Rethink, an advertising agency in Toronto, Erceg-Gogic assists companies in creating marketing materials and campaigns for their brands. Problem solving and communicating with diverse populations is part of her everyday role, both skills that she had the opportunity to cultivate while at Humber. She is currently working on projects for Kraft/Heinz and is in charge of the behind the scenes work required to advertise their products. 

Erceg-Gogic stays active by playing in two local volleyball leagues, both beach and indoor, and has stayed in contact with a number of fellow recreation staff members.  She has had the opportunity to travel to a number of countries since she left Humber, including a graduation trip across Europe.  She aspires to open her own advertising agency in the future, where she can combine her love of traveling with working on international advertising shoots.

Her advice to students thinking about getting involved in recreational programs is to go ahead and give it a try, because it might just change your life.