Stories of international students in Canada
Hear from students and alumni who chose Canada as a study destination. Learn how studying in Canada changed their lives and shaped their futures.
Filbert, Indonesia

“To say that my experience studying in Canada has been fantastic would be a massive understatement. From the incredible quality of the education to the wide range of co-op opportunities, as well as the blooming social life and the breathtaking natural landmarks, studying here feels like a dream!
As an international student, being in a co-op program is invaluable. It allows me to gain paid work experience in a field I am passionate about before graduating. If you’re interested in studying in Canada, I’d say go ahead and pursue this wonderful opportunity. Just remember the importance of making friends while you are here!”
Bachelor of Arts (Co-op), Major in visual art and minor in creative writing
University of British Columbia
Alexa, Mexico

“Since my very first day at Bow Valley College I knew my decision was one of the best I’ve ever made. The college offered quality education and valuable support for international students. I now work as a Legal Assistant at one of the largest law firms in Canada.”
Diploma, Legal Assistant
Bow Valley College
Calgary, Alberta
Yannick, Côte d’Ivoire

“I like the Canadian [education] system because it is more focused on practice. I chose CCNB in particular because they have instructors with expertise in factories, who have hands-on experience with the subjects they are teaching.”
Automated systems electromechanics
New Brunswick Community College (NBCC)
Edmundston, New Brunswick
Transcript
Yannick: My name is Yannick. I grew up in Côte d’Ivoire, Abidjan to be precise. I am in my second year of studying automated systems electromechanics at the Edmundston campus of the New Brunswick Community College (NBCC).
The best part of this adventure for me was the day I received my acceptance letter for my visa. I was overcome with emotion… I was the happiest man in the world because I was finally going to the country of my dreams, the country where I have always wanted to go.
I decided to leave my home country because I wanted gain better knowledge education-wise. And the teaching in Africa, specifically in Côte d’Ivoire, is more theory-centric. I like the Canadian system more because it is more focused on practice. Canada is truly the best country to help me learn a lot of things in my field of studies: electromechanics.
Electromechanics covers three areas: electricity, industrial mechanic and instrumentation.
I chose NBCC in particular because they have instructors with experience in factories, who have hands-on experience with the subjects they are teaching, who have spent their time, practically years of their lives, working in their field. So they bring more experience, more advice about the work we will certainly do later.
What I like most about Canada, specifically New Brunswick, I mean the city of Edmundston where I am, is the warmth of the people, people who are very welcoming and who do not hesitate to lend you a hand. What I also love is the different types of seasons. Fall is magnificent! Winter here is also amazing, but a little cold.
It was my childhood dream to come to Canada, and when I see that I am here in the country of my dreams, it’s… I still can’t believe it. I often wake up and say, “Am I really in Canada?” And I am fitting in so well… that I really want to have a life here, to move here to live my full life.
Mary, The Philippines and Dubai

“Canada is an awesome country. I’m really impressed by the openness and the respect that people have with one another. It’s also a great place to be more innovative and creative, and therefore, a great place to be yourself.”
Bachelor’s, chemical engineering
Dalhousie University
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Transcript
Mary, Chemical Engineering, Dalhousie University: My name's Mary and I'm working towards my Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering.
I grew up in Dubai, United Arab Emirates but I was born in the Philippines. When I was back home I was really shy. When I first decided to come to Halifax, I wanted to put myself out there and get out of my comfort zone and over the two years that I've been here, I did exactly just that.
Dalhousie has really given me much support because I've been given opportunities to attend conferences where I could make connections with other women in engineering, also professionals in engineering.
As an international student on campus, the international centre always has events for us
so that we can gather and connect with one another and feel welcomed in the Dalhousie community.
Canada is an awesome country.
I'm really impressed and inspired by the openness and the respect that people have with one another.
It's also a great place to be more innovative and to be creative and therefore a great place to be yourself.
There's so much more that I can learn, so much more that I can develop within myself, that really makes me excited for what's to come.
When I first came to Halifax and walked down that harbourfront, I was like, This is it. This is my new home.
And when I do look back, I'll be like, "This is where I first started. This is how I grew."
Azadeh, Iran and Dubai

“[Canada] has a very strong history in STEM, like in insulin and telecommunications. And on the other hand, it's a multicultural country. It gives us—not only us, but our parents—peace of mind that we are in a safe country, studying, every single day.”
PhD, Biomedical Engineering
University of Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario
Transcript
Narrator: Meet Azadeh Dastmalchi. Azadeh began her study in Canada adventure in 2010 at the University of Ottawa. Since then, she completed her master's degree in biomedical engineering, became a Canadian citizen, and started her own company called Vital Tracer—a medical start-up that builds smart watches that measure blood pressure. We spoke to Azadeh to learn more about her journey and the start-up ecosystem in Canada.
On-screen text: EduCanada Asks: Why did you decide to study in Canada?
Azadeh Dastmalchi CEO Vital Tracer: It has a very strong history in STEM, like in insulin and telecommunications. And on the other hand, it's a multicultural country. It gives us—not only us, but our parents—peace of mind that we are in a safe country, studying, every single day.
On-screen text: EduCanada Asks: How did you get the idea to build the watch?
Azadeh Dastmalchi: The idea of the watch originally came from when my dad got high blood pressure and medical doctors asked him to take his measurements three times per day for a week, and he didn't like it at all. When I asked him the main issue, he said that it's hard to install and that the cuff, which inflates and deflates, he doesn't like it at all. So I find that OK, if we can build a technology like the watch, that would be the best solution.
Narrator: Azadeh’s solution was a smartwatch that uses optical sensors and artificial intelligence, powered by machine learning algorithms, to measure blood pressure. In recent years, Montreal has become an artificial intelligence hub for students, researchers and businesses. For Azadeh, Montreal was the perfect city to launch her start-up.
Azadeh Dastmalchi: I heard about lots of very good programs for entrepreneurship in Montreal, especially that they are more concentrated on A.I. I can say that since 2019 until now, we got around half a million dollars from Quebec government funds from the Ministry of Economy and Innovations, from Concordia D3, from IQ—which is Invest Quebec—and from Prompt. And these are all funds to support building our technology in terms of MVP—minimum viable product.
Going to the commercialization version, getting Health Canada’s approval and a bit of support for our clinical validation in hospitals.
Narrator: Entrepreneurship is a journey full of uncertainty and challenges. But despite all of the obstacles, Azadeh found her success in Canada.
Azadeh Dastmalchi: Canada’s government, during the pandemic, was super supportive for the SMEs—small and medium entrepreneurs—and for start-ups. Lots of support and subsidies for wages, funds, grants. And they helped us not only about the monetary, but in terms of mentoring, lots of free programs to make us move forward.
Marwa, Egypt

“I think Canada is the best place to have a better future, career, life and education. You will also be very supported from the neighbourhood and the Canadian people. They are accepting anybody basically, whatever your background, whatever your religion, you will be accepted.”
PhD, chemistry
University of Calgary
Calgary, Alberta
Transcription
Marwa: My name is Marwa and I am a PHD candidate at Chemistry Department, University of Calgary. I born and raised in a small city in Egypt called Ismailia.
After I finished my Masters degree, I wanted to get a solid education in electrochemistry.
At that time, I had my baby and also I was married, so moving the whole family to a foreign country, it wasn’t an easy choice.
I choose Canada because I wanted a country that supports raising kids in a very friendly environment. I was targeting to join a very strong group in electrochemistry and my current supervisor is one of the big leaders in electrochemistry worldwide.
I think the main reason I have success and am still pursuing my PHD is the solid education I’m getting at University of Calgary – many resources, many chances to enhance your background, your study.
I think Canada is the best place to have a better future, career, life and education. You will also be very supported from the neighbourhood and the Canadian people. They are accepting anybody basically, whatever your background, whatever your religion, you will be accepted.
You can make friends from all over the world, like I have Canadian friends, Chinese, Iranian, Egyptian.
I would like also to be a source of an inspiration for my son, my family and all women, especially in academic environment. I’m just enjoying the journey and looking forward to graduate and have my career afterwards.
My greatest achievement since I came to Canada, I think it is confidence and being a strong woman.
Rinka, Japan

“My study abroad experience in Canada is one of the greatest experiences of my life. The reason why I chose Canada is that I had always wanted to put myself in multi-cultural society different from Japan. As I had expected, talking to people with different backgrounds and learning about other cultures was the best part of the experience. It widened my horizons and made me more mature.
Another favorite thing about Canada is that it is such a safe, open society that welcomes people from around the world. Over the course of my stay in Canada, I never felt alone or insecure. Overall, for those who are interested in studying abroad in Canada, I strongly suggest you take the chance, as you will get to experience and learn new things that you would never get in Japan. Good luck!”
High school exchange student
Calgary, Alberta
Ritsu, Japan

“I lived and studied in Canada twice, for one year each time. During my first visit, I attended a local secondary school in Ontario. I chose Canada because of its highly safe and accepting environment, compared to other English-speaking countries. During my second visit, I studied at Queen’s University at Kingston as a visiting student. This time, I returned to Canada because I had loved my previous experience there.
My time in Canada was a defining moment in my life. The most valuable thing I learned was not my English or French language skills, but the importance of diversity and inclusion. In Canada, people from different cultures live together in harmony, respecting and valuing each other. This experience helped me to become an open-minded global citizen, and I am confident that it would not have been possible without my time in Canada.
For those considering studying abroad, I highly recommend Canada as your destination. Some may be concerned about its cold winter climate. But, no need to worry! The warmth of the people and just one large coffee will more than make up for it.”
Queen’s University
Faculty of Arts and Science
Prince Takamado Visiting Student Scholar
Juan David, Colombia

“I chose Canada because of its cultural diversity and high-quality education. Also, I had heard about Canadian's kindness and wonderful landscapes, which I had the fantastic opportunity to witness. My experience in Canada was amazing in every sense! I had the chance to explore many cool places, cities and enjoy a truly welcoming atmosphere wherever I went in each province I visited.
Canadians are always up to give you a hand, not only in your daily life but also in an academic environment. The quality of research and education is one of the main reasons I have to go back and continue with my studies. I would advise you to explore all the opportunities that are available in the country. Not only in the biggest cities but also in those provinces that despite being not well known, have thousands of advantages. Canada is a great place to study, to explore and to live in.”
Emerging Leaders in the Americas Awardee
Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering
University of Saskatchewan and University of Regina
Dr. Ekachidd Chungcharoen, Thailand

“My time in Canada gave me great friendships. I have met many good people who became classmates and friends for school and the hobbies I love such as tennis, canoeing and other social activities. Canada is rich in natural beauty with clean air and a clean environment. When the weather was warmer, we went camping on the Rocky Mountains. It was such a great experience and one of the best memories ever.”
Currently Associate Professor, Faculty of Commerce and Accounting, Thammasat University
University of Waterloo
Ngoc Truc Diep, Vietnam

"I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for being a Canada-ASEAN Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development (SEED) recipient. I feel so honored and fortunate to be doing my research at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal (UdeM), Canada.
The reputable teachers, world-class facilities and multicultural society of UdeM make it a wonderful institution for study and research. Although this is a French-language university, most of the teachers and students can also communicate fluently in English. They are always nice, friendly, and eager to help me. Furthermore, I have gained a lot of hands-on experience and advanced knowledge in veterinary practice that will help me reach new heights in my career.
The aim of my research is developing an anesthesia protocol that can hopefully be applied to cats and dogs in Vietnam. This will not only help us control the animal population through spay-neuter procedures, but will also improve animal welfare by minimizing pain and discomfort. Once I have completed my study at the UdeM, I will bring the knowledge and techniques I have learned back to my country and transfer them to my colleagues. I strongly believe that we can make a difference and improve our veterinary practice in Vietnam.
Finally, I would like to thank my host family in Montreal. They are so kind, welcoming and generous. They make me feel like a member of their family. I will miss them dearly when I return back home."
Canada-ASEAN Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development Awardee
Animal Sciences and Veterinary Sciences PhD
Université de Montréal
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