Trial-by-fire student placement sparks new career in Canada
In the summer of 2024, halfway through her Construction Engineering Technology studies, Cherry Pagtalunan (class of '25) was busy at work in Jasper. But it wasn’t the place she remembered.
About a month earlier, Pagtalunan had brought her family, Filipino newcomers by way of the Middle East, to visit the famed Rocky Mountain town. But on her second visit, much of it was ash and rubble. A massive wildfire that began on July 22 burned about one-third of the townsite.
“It was devastating,” says Pagtalunan. “I was here a few weeks back and it was so beautiful. And then you see everything in black, smoky.”
Pagtalunan joined Edmonton-based First General for a summer placement to help with restoration efforts. Toward the end of that time, she coordinated crews working on damaged buildings.
Even structures untouched by flames were filled with smoke and soot. Asbestos was a constant concern. First General’s job was to make buildings safe again – starting with hotels so relief workers had a place to stay.
It was an exhausting project that brought mixed emotions. One the one hand, there was the impact of so much damage. On the other, there was the chance to make a difference, to help residents get a fresh start. Originally from Bulacan, Philippines and looking for new opportunities in Canada, it was right where Pagtalunan knew she should be.
Coming to Canada
For 15 years, Pagtalunan and her family had lived in Qatar, where she’d worked as an estimator, with a degree in civil engineering.
When jobs became scarce after the 2022 World Cup, she began looking elsewhere. Online, she discovered NAIT as a way to align her skills to Canadian requirements.
The transition to Canada was tricky at first, with the climate being an early challenge. The family landed in Edmonton on Aug. 18, 2023 – leaving 55 C in Qatar for a brisk 16 C.
But they soon found a place not far from NAIT and Pagtalunan got ready for New Student Orientation.
She hopped a bus, got lost, ended up at a mall five kilometres north of campus, called an Uber, and managed to get to the event on time. After that, she settled into her program quickly.
“I became comfortable in the very beginning,” says Pagtalunan, who took advantage of NAIT international student resources. She even volunteered with the International and Cultural Community Centre and served as social media coordinator for the Construction Engineering Technology student club.
She also connected with NAIT’s Filipino community, the second largest contingent of international students at the polytechnic. "Having your kababayans around [is] really awesome," says Pagtalunan.
During her time at NAIT, Pagtalunan earned several awards, including the 2024 Ledcor Group Innovation Scholarship. She also caught the attention of industry.
In her first year, Moe Barzagar (Construction Engineering Technology '16), a partner at First General/Hibco Construction, visited one of Pagtalunan’s classes as a guest speaker. He shared how NAIT grads bring real-world skills that the industry needs.
“Industries are learning that if they have to choose between two different resumés and one person had a university degree and the other had five years of experience, they’re usually going to choose the person with the experience,” says Barzagar.
“And NAIT does a fantastic job of focusing on the things that we need.”
Pagtalunan was intrigued by the restoration work First General does and asked Barzagar about summer placements. He hesitated at first. The company addresses damage brought on by fire, water and more, then works to return properties to their original states. It’s complicated work, and often more than an average summer student can learn in a season.
But after reviewing Pagtalunan’s credentials as an estimator and her international experience, Barzagar reconsidered.
Compassionate contributions
Pagtalunan started her student placement with First General in April 2024, handling proposals, estimates and more. But within days of the fire in July, Pagtalunan was helping draft restoration plans for Jasper. Three weeks after the fire, Barzagar didn’t hesitate to ask her to join the company as it deployed to the town.
For two weeks in August, Pagtalunan worked as a coordinator. She woke at 4:30 a.m., drove from Hinton to Jasper, worked all day with subtrades and teams across projects like the Athabasca Hotel, Jasper Hostel, Tekarra Lodge, and restaurants such as Earl’s and Famoso – buildings spared by fire but contaminated by smoke and soot.
Then she’d head back to Hinton, do paperwork, and got to sleep by midnight if she was lucky. The work was cut short only by her need to return to NAIT in late-August for the final year of her program.
“Driving back, I felt so sad because I still wanted to contribute by working in Jasper,” says Pagtalunan. “I still wanted to invest my time helping the community.”
Barzagar says her compassion helped Pagtalunan excel.
“She took it upon herself to be as involved as she was. She just felt like she was able to give back to a community that was going through a really hard time.”
In June, Pagtalunan will cross the stage at NAIT's convocation ceremony – just as her oldest son graduates high school, and her youngest completes junior high.
Then she’ll go back to work.
After finishing her studies in April, Pagtalunan became a client relationship manager with First General, enabling her to continue making the kind of contribution she made in Jasper.
“You don’t want catastrophes to happen,” she says. “You don’t want fire or water damage to happen in any of the properties around you.
"But if we can make things better, then that’s what we do."