Dina Barazza
Pilon School of Business
Degree: Business Administration - Human Resources
Year of graduation: 1994
Being her own boss
A simple life lesson from her mother empowered Dina Barazza to become her own boss. Her Italian-born mother would tell her, “siempre avanti” meaning, “Dina, be positive and move forward.”
As the Founder and President of two companies, Dina has done just that. She set herself up for success with a diploma in Human Resources from Sheridan in 1994. A few years later, she completed a Bachelor of Commerce from Ryerson part-time.
“Sheridan was critical in giving me foundational skills in human resource, basic knowledge and understanding of HR and how people learn,” she explains. In addition to gaining a valuable education, Sheridan “gave me the drive and motivation to keep learning and to never give up!”
In 2007, after having worked in the corporate sector for many years, Dina started her own human resource training and consulting firm. She calls The Talent Consortium her day-time job. And it isn’t just that, it’s what helped her achieve her dream of launching Avanti Women, a volunteer and member-based organization that enables women to move forward professionally and personally through networking, mentoring and learning.
“It’s about empowering and giving women the tools to develop themselves in our global and highly competitive industry,” says the 45-year-old entrepreneur.
Part of Dina’s business philosophy is to contribute to the growth of the community. “I’ve taken all the HR skills and programs I developed for other companies and shared them with stakeholders through Avanti Women.”
Having worked with colleges around the GTA, Dina wishes to come back to Sheridan to deliver skill-building workshops for prospective graduates.
For now, she advises them to focus, have a passion and a business plan. Dina adds that asking questions is never a losing proposition, in fact, it is the best way to learn.
Having reached her goal of becoming an entrepreneur, Dina says, “If I die tomorrow, I would be happy. Because I have been successful in accomplishing what I wanted in life with Avanti Women.”
By Mehreen Shahid, Journalism – Print, 2015
Learn more about Sheridan’s Bachelor of Business Administration (Human Resources Management).
A simple life lesson from her mother empowered Dina Barazza to become her own boss. Her Italian-born mother would tell her, “siempre avanti” meaning, “Dina, be positive and move forward.”
As the Founder and President of two companies, Dina has done just that. She set herself up for success with a diploma in Human Resources from Sheridan in 1994. A few years later, she completed a Bachelor of Commerce from Ryerson part-time.
“Sheridan was critical in giving me foundational skills in human resource, basic knowledge and understanding of HR and how people learn,” she explains. In addition to gaining a valuable education, Sheridan “gave me the drive and motivation to keep learning and to never give up!”
In 2007, after having worked in the corporate sector for many years, Dina started her own human resource training and consulting firm. She calls The Talent Consortium her day-time job. And it isn’t just that, it’s what helped her achieve her dream of launching Avanti Women, a volunteer and member-based organization that enables women to move forward professionally and personally through networking, mentoring and learning.
“It’s about empowering and giving women the tools to develop themselves in our global and highly competitive industry,” says the 45-year-old entrepreneur.
Part of Dina’s business philosophy is to contribute to the growth of the community. “I’ve taken all the HR skills and programs I developed for other companies and shared them with stakeholders through Avanti Women.”
Having worked with colleges around the GTA, Dina wishes to come back to Sheridan to deliver skill-building workshops for prospective graduates.
For now, she advises them to focus, have a passion and a business plan. Dina adds that asking questions is never a losing proposition, in fact, it is the best way to learn.
Having reached her goal of becoming an entrepreneur, Dina says, “If I die tomorrow, I would be happy. Because I have been successful in accomplishing what I wanted in life with Avanti Women.”
By Mehreen Shahid, Journalism – Print, 2015
Learn more about Sheridan’s Bachelor of Business Administration (Human Resources Management).