From medical lab technologist to full-stack developer: Adult learners from Guyana transformed their careers through online education
By: Savara Khokhar July 15, 2025
This past convocation marked a special milestone for these adult learners from Guyana.
On June 24, 2025, they crossed the convocation stage at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC), having successfully completed The Chang School’s certificate in Full Stack Developer.
To celebrate their achievement, Linda Koechli, dean of The Chang School hosted a post-convocation celebration at the Peter Bronfman Learning Centre. Joining the celebration were the graduates’ families, the Gold Medal recipient, representatives from Riavera, including founder Mark Itwaru and select members of TMU and The Chang School leadership.
While five of the graduates traveled from Guyana to cross the stage in person, they represent a much larger and growing community of learners. Since the program launched in May 2024, 92 learners have successfully completed the Full Stack Developer certificate fully online and officially graduated. The initiative demonstrates the power of flexible, career-relevant education to build technical capacity and drive digital innovation in Guyana and beyond.
“This moment shows the transformative power of online education,” says Linda Koechli, dean of The Chang School. “These graduates remind us what’s possible when learning crosses borders.”
This milestone reflects The Chang School’s deep commitment to making career-relevant education accessible to learners around the world. The success of these graduates not only highlights individual achievement but also underscores the school’s growing role as a leader in flexible, high-impact learning that transcends borders and transforms lives.
For many of the Guyanese graduates, enrolling in the certificate program was a strategic decision to build new skills in today’s rapidly changing job market. The program is designed for flexibility, offering working professionals the opportunity to build in-demand software development skills —such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React and Node.js —entirely online…
Source: Toronto Met Today
Read the full news release here for the biographies of the graduates.