Tomoko F.’s Post

Today I passed by an old apartment building where I used to live when I moved to Canada in 2005. $600/month shared with another U of T student, located just above garbage dump, next to a bread factory. Mixture of bread and garbage smell was so unbearable that window was always shut. One month after landing in Toronto, I started nursing school with limited budget. I struggled not only with academic English but also with adjustment to new culture. Difficult personal life made it even worse. Faced discrimination during clinicals - not a micro one, obvious one. At graduation, my GPA was not ideal but I was just happy graduating and becoming a nurse. As I worked as a nurse, studying at Master’s level became my dream. Got rejected from several schools. I found University of Calgary’s flexible master’s program which accepted me without academic reference in 2019. Now into the third year and keeping 4.0 all along, fully enjoying learning (wonderful learning environment!), dreaming about furthering my study in Doctor of Nursing someday. I’m so lucky to have found this program and to have met the amazing teacher and dean of the faculty, Dr. Sandra Davidson. Strong support for newcomers and international students is crucial. It could impact and change their lives. This is why I support newcomers personally and professionally. For international students, if you feel shy about your accent, please don’t. Your accent is a proof of resilience and strength. Be proud. #nursing #nurse #culture #internationalstudent #resilience