EduCanada

My name is Priye Iworima and I am a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia, where I study research on diabetes diabetes. Growing up as a little child in Nigeria, I always knew I wanted to be in the sciences.

Why did I choose Canada?

I had friends that were in Canada.

They talked about the science that went on in Canada, how innovative it, it was, and the expertise that Canada had.

... and the rest is history.

Diabetes is a global disease that is affecting hundreds of millions of people.

And these cells that we're making, we hope one day will help ease the burden of living with diabetes.

Some advice I would give to students that want to come to Canada to study [regenerative medicine] are really do the homework.

Do your research

[...] Push yourself outside your comfort zone [...]

[...] Because you really never know who you're talking to and how they can impact your life in the future or how you can impact their life in the future.

Regenerative medicine right now is a really exciting time.

And you have the opportunity to collaborate with a lot of people as well.

So that really pushes the science and the research further. We are really not an island here.

So It made sense for me to come to a place like here and I really loved that decision.

Maria: I'm Maria Cerpas, I came to Canada, from Nicaragua.

Gunnar: My name is Gunnar. I came from Brazil in 2019.

Carol: When people start to study in a language school, I think the one commonality they all share is vulnerability.

Carol: Canada is so open and so multicultural. Many people from many different and they're all brought together by language.

Maria: I came to Canada, um, because [...] my family wanted to be in a place where we can live safely, also where our human rights are respected.

Maria: But when I came here I wasn't able to communicate effectively.

Gunnar: I knew that I would face some challenges, so I just decided to try.

Carol: I've seen students who came in with almost nothing and then they get better and better and better.

Carol: and finally they're ready to go out and study at university or get a job. And it just feels great to see that happen

Maria: I was able to understand better.

Maria: I was able to find a job It really changed my life.

Gunnar: I had good opportunities to talk with the new students, socialise with them, help me to improve my English and I'm really enjoying it.

Maria: I see a future for me here.

I’d always known I was going to study abroad and I knew it was gonna be nursing.

Canada had the best opportunities for me.

I ended up in Red Deer Polytechnic because my parents and their friends had gone through a lot of research and they just thought it would be the perfect mix of small town, big city for me to get started with.

A lot of international students share the sentiment that like, you are building your family's legacy by studying abroad.

So there was a lot riding on this. My family sacrifices was riding on Canada for me.

My brother's epileptic. He was diagnosed in the US when he was like 16. I just felt, I felt like we need more people that can do this.

Red Deer Polytechnic the instructors are always ready to answer questions, they're always available.

As an international student being away from home and being away from everything that you've known your entire life, community building was very important to me.

The people here are very open to new people and different cultures and wanting to get to know people.

If I had to study nursing all over again, I would choose Canada because it's been a great experience overall and I've learned so much about myself throughout the process.

My name is Vicente Hashimoto.

I'm from Brazil, I'm currently studying Business Administration in Finance.

What made me decide to study finance in Canada?

It offers an inclusive environment for international students here. Where everyone feels like they belong.

I chose Camosun College because It offers a strong, practical side, co-op programmes, internships for students, I can have a lot of interactions with the professor as the classes are small.

It also offered me events where I can get to know people, and an amazing facility to develop myself.

I knew that I wanted to work part-time while I was studying.

I managed to get a job as a bank teller. Which is related to my area of studies, once I graduate and get all my credentials I want to become a wealth manager.

For now I'm just enjoying myself here in Victoria I really like the sunshine.

If I had to do it all over again, I would definitely study finance in Canada. It offers a lot of opportunities both academically and professionally.

I am and will forever be grateful for coming to this country.