Article written by Vishali Shiju & Jasleen Kaur

On February 10, 2026, students from the DIGI 3502 Database Systems course moved beyond the classroom for a hands-on look at the corporate world at NTN Bearing Corporation of Canada. NTN is a company with a clear and ambitious vision- “to transform into Canada’s leader of the Ultimate Bearing Experience.” We visited their Mississauga headquarters to see Database Systems in action, and the experience was as educational as it was welcoming.

The staff greeted us with genuine warmth and led us into their training hall. Awaiting us was freshly brewed coffee and refreshments – a thoughtful touch that lightened up our faces before the session even began. We were officially welcomed by a fantastic team, including Rita Payne, the Director of Corporate Marketing & Communications. Having been with the company for nearly eight years, Rita exuded the presence of an elegant leader – warm and welcoming yet briefing us on the company’s history with a deep sense of authority.

The session was filled with three major surprises. The first surprise element was finding one of our own classmates, Divyaman Srimal (whom we call Div), working with the NTN marketing team and participating in the session. The second surprise was discovering that Ken Wells, the Director of Sales – Industrial Aftermarket, was sitting right among us and actively engaging in the discussion.

We will reveal the 3rd surprise but shedding light upon one of the highlights of our visit – Lubnaa Aamirah (a Humber alumni) and Div’s presentation. Seeing students from our own program applying what we are currently learning in a real corporate environment made everything feel more meaningful and valuable.

Lubnaa walked us through the power BI and explained how she use data in her day-to-day role. In our program courses, we learn about data analytics, visualization, KPIs, business streaky and so many more. NTN helped us understand how these concepts play a huge role in shaping business decisions. Beyond just reporting, these tools were used to track performance, identify trends, and improve operations. We learnt that good data visualization is about making information clear, simple, and actionable.

Hearing about Div’s internship journey and the different projects he has worked on so far made our learning goals feel even more relatable. It was encouraging to see how an internship can provide the space to learn, experiment, and grow while contributing to real business projects.

Most of the times as a student, we tend to focus more on just grades or project deadlines. But this visit reminded us that the skills we are developing have real value even outside the classroom. We felt more confident and motivated and could clearly see the gap between theory and practise. More importantly, it gave us a clearer picture of what kind of roles are awaiting us after graduation.

Now for the final reveal… the 3rd surprise – THE CEO of the company- Paul Meo , also visited us! It was such an honor to meet him. The partnership between NTN and Humber is a special one, born from a meeting between our Program Coordinator, Hanadi Alnawab, and Paul at a graduation ceremony. When Paul’s son was graduating, Paul exclaimed from the crowd- “That’s my son!” and the rest is history. Humber students have been visiting NTN every year since, and each time they greet us, feed us, and provide immensely informational sessions.

Paul taught us something really valuable that day- the importance of communication, hard work, and constant improvement. His journey at NTN is inspiring. He started at the base level and worked his way to the top, but he
emphasized that he never forgot his roots. He still maintains 1on1 meetings with every single employee and extremely values honest feedback/New Ideas. He graciously opened the session for questions, and we certainly took up a lot of their time – a rare privilege considering how busy a CEO is.

When the session ended, we left with a new sense of how vital databases are to a company and how valued this skill set is. We are proud to be Humber students and, last but not least, we are greatly thankful to Hanadi Alnawab
for being there with us. Even after a 15 hour flight from India and being heavily jet lagged from her time at Parul University (A story for another time), she was right there by our side.