Day in and day out he’s at Durham College (DC). A friendly face, beaming at students as they enter the school. He normally sits in The Pit, surrounded by students, who wave as they walk by.
He is ambitious and ready to take on the day with a positive attitude. Micheal Constantinou, 28, started working for DC as a special events assistant in Sept. 2017, when he realized DC was the right place for him.
“I love my job,” he said with a smile. He works part-time at the college and even when he’s not working he’s still at the college.
“I just come and visit the school to see how everyone is doing,” he said.
Constantinou was born and raised in Pickering.
He has fond memories of hanging out with friends and meeting new people in the area.
After studying culinary arts in the Community Integration through Co-operative Education program at DC for two years, he was compelled to stay on campus and was determined to work at Durham.
“The people at the school have given me so much that I wanted to give back,” he said.
He recalls the good times in school and all the friends he has made. The people at DC won him over and this was the main reason Constantinou was compelled to stay.
“The school is like my second home,” said Constantinou.
After graduating from DC in 2012, he wanted to further his passion and took another culinary arts program in Whitby at Liaison College. He graduated from there in 2013.
“I loved culinary so much,” he said.
Constantinou, worked part-time at Sunset Grill in 2015 for one year. Then accepted a seasonal job at Costco, during the winter months in 2016.
During the summer of 2017, he considered taking a job in the cafeteria at DC to practise what he had been studying, but found solace working in the sports sector of the school, helping students be the best they could be.
“I love motivating students, it makes me feel better as a person,” he said.
Constantinou attends sporting events with students and does whatever he can to show support and rallies for his team by giving away free T-shirts.
“I’d get them going…make some noise I’d say,” said Constantinou. “I give them motivation, which is the most important thing. They get my company and motivation and I’m there as a friend if they need it.”
Taylor Reddings, a part-time DC student in 2016, met Constantinou in The Pit.
“He walked over and introduced himself to me, we talked for a short while…after that every time we saw each other we would stop and talk,” said Reddings.
Students frequently stop to chat with Constantinou.
“As soon as they mention Mikey (Constantinou), they say they know him,” said Reddings about how Constantinou is well-liked and known throughout the school.
“Mikey (Constantinou) has made such a positive impact on me and I always love to see him around campus,” said Reddings.
Constantinou travels frequently, visiting Cyprus, where his family his from. He enjoys his time there.
“I visit my family most of the time when I’m down there,” he said.
Constantinou plans to stay at DC and further his career here, or as he calls it, his “second home.
“It’s the people at Durham that make the school what it is.”
