Larissa Mazzocca, a recent graduate of Humber Polytechnic’s Research Analyst program, said her educational journey has taught her that success does not always go one way.
Mazzocca, 27, completed the program in summer 2026 after previously earning a bachelor’s degree in criminology with a minor in psychology from Wilfried Laurier University.
Her path to Humber included a two-year break from university before returning to complete her degree.
Her interest in research eventually led her to Hum ber, where she sought practical experience and opportunity to explore different career paths.
One of her biggest accomplishments was a research project titled, The Cost of Waiting, which examined delays in endometriosis diagnoses in Canada. Working with Riley Lawson, also a research analyst student, Mazzocca spent seven months investigating the issue before winning Humber’s Map the System Competition.
The project earned the team an opportunity to represent Humber at the global finals at the University of Oxford in England. There, they received an award for excellence in system mapping and analysis.
Mazzocca, who graduates in November 2026, said the experience pushed her beyond her comfort zone, particularly as someone who has struggled with confidence and public speaking..
“I used to think that confidence was something you needed, like you needed to have confidence before you could do this,” she said. “Now that I know, after everything I've gone through, I believe that it comes from just doing things that scare you just a little bit.”
Mazzocca said her time Humber told her to embrace uncertainty and recognize that everyone's educational journey looks different.
“Everyone’s timeline looks different and a path that doesn’t go as planned doesn’t mean you are doing something wrong,” she said.
