Out of the cold and into the classroom: Donabel Santos brings warmth to a career in computing

Donabel Santos didn’t dream of a computing career.

As a young adult in the Philippines, Donabel completed three and a half years of a Geology degree before immigrating to Canada in the 1990s. She entered the last semester of her degree after arriving in B.C., but quickly realized that being a geologist in a colder climate was out of the question.

“Here in geology, where you have to go into the mountains and do a lot of fieldwork, I couldn’t cope with the temperature and environment,” Donabel said of the experience. “To be honest, I just wanted a job where I didn’t have to go into the mountains.” She dropped all her geology courses and went back to the drawing board.

Unsure of her next steps, Donabel found temporary work in the fast-food industry but remained determined to find a career in more comfortable elements. Through her search for the right short, hands-on, job-ready program, Donabel found her calling at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT).

A career takes shape at BCIT

Donabel started at BCIT in the Computer System Technology (CST) Diploma program, and then pursued a CST Bachelor of Technology degree. During her time as a student, Donabel worked part-time as a BCIT Computer Summer Kids Camp instructor adapting and delivering curriculum to more than 500 kids over three years. Her work as a camp instructor helped hone the teaching skills she would later use to educate thousands of BCIT students.

The difference between BCIT and her former university was significant. “One thing I didn’t really like is in bigger environments you become a statistic, a student number,” she says. “But, with BCIT, the instructors had more time to care about you. That’s the humanity I felt at BCIT.”

Donabel brought her experience as a student to her work as faculty. She says “BCIT is the BC Institute of Technology, but there’s so much more human than technology.” Throughout her teaching career, Donabel has retained a people-focused approach, ensuring she learns all her student’s names and, when possible, their stories.

Learn what you teach, teach what you learn

In addition to teaching at BCIT, Donabel is the Associate Director of Business Intelligence at the University of British Columbia, runs her own Consultancy, and has written several textbooks. In her 22 years at BCIT, she has also helped develop more than eight Computing courses. Her professional endeavors allow Donabel to be constantly learning, and to transfer her knowledge to her students.

As BCIT Faculty and a BCIT Faculty & Staff Association (FSA) member, Donabel has stayed at the leading edge of technology. She was the first person to recommend the Institute teach a course in Tableau — at the time, Tableau was a new and obscure software which has since become a market leader for data visualization. Donabel’s curiosity and willingness to discover new tools ensures her students receive the education they need to succeed in a complex world.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Donabel innovated. She took her teaching expertise to the content creation world and began creating tutorials on YouTube. Donabel has since grown her channel, “sqlbelle”, to more than 127,000 subscribers and more than 1,000,000 views. She is internationally renowned and has been accorded Microsoft MVP status and the coveted Tableau Vizzie Award for Best Content Creator twice. Additionally, Donabel was recently awarded UBC’s President’s Staff Award for Creativity and Innovation.

Staying inspired through dedication to her students

In more than two decades of being an instructor, Donabel says the piece she loves most about her work is the students. She explains: “Some of my former students contact me years after they’ve taken my course, and their messages are the ones that keep me going.”

Ever humble, Donabel remains thankful for the role BCIT played in her success. In the Acknowledgments section of her many textbooks, BCIT is always included.

BCIT is proud to recognize Donabel Santos with a 2024 BCIT FSA Distinguished Alumni Award at the awards gala on November 14, 2024.