Name: Jackline Kulang

Current City: St. Catharines, Ontario

Year arrived in Canada: 2011

School(s): Brock University

Academic program(s): Bachelor of Public Health and Master of Public Health (MPH)

Current Occupation: Community Coordinator, Shelter Health Hepatitis C Program

1. From your experience transitioning to Canadian life and culture, do you have any advice for new students?

Yes, make friends, be open minded and always strive to learn from others. NB: If you are invited for dinner or coffee, bring your wallet ….. It is Canadian to pay for your own food and drinks. Unless of course your host offers to pay for it.

2. Do you have any advice on choosing academic programs and careers for later success after school?

I would advise new students to familiarize themselves with all academic programs and choose a program based on interest and prospects of getting a job after graduating. Don’t do a program only because it’s viewed as prestigious.

3. How can new students cope with loneliness and feeling out of place when they first arrive in Canada?

Reach out to friends you know here and family back home, talk to members of your local committee and be open minded. Join campus activities and clubs to meet like-minded students. Seek professional counselling if your symptoms become extreme like withdrawing from friends. You could be experiencing depression. Many campuses now offer counselling services for free.

4. From your experience, what does it take to succeed in Canada? (Measuring success in academic and professional terms).  

To succeed in Canada, you need to persevere and be resilient. Academic performance is important for scholarships and getting grants when you are still in school but it doesn’t translate well into getting a job. Network….. Network …..Network. I can’t stress this enough. Go out… meet people and be kind to people. Volunteer within the campus and in the community. You will need “Canadian experience” to land that job so don’t solely immerse yourself completely into studying to get As. Make use of career and employment programs within the campus and community to help with your resumes and learn job interviewing skills.

5. What challenges do you think hinder new students from succeeding in Canada?

I think cultural differences, inability to adopt to Canadian culture and pressure from people back home. New students should tell their families the truth about student life here so that families don’t expect too much from them.

6. Seeing how credit scores are important in Canada, do you have any advice on managing money or building up a credit profile?

Yup, It is imperative that you start saving as soon as you can. You don’t have to have a lot of money to start saving. Start with what you can and build on that. Utilize budgeting tools to keep you on track. (You can find this on University financial sites). Live within your means and be honest with family back home. It will be very important for your sanity. Get a student prepaid visa card and have a payment plan to pay it monthly. This will help build your credit score while you are still a student.

7.  Do you have any ideas on how new students can manage expectations from friends and family back home? ­­

Above all else, honesty and humility will help. From the get go, explain to your family your financial situation and inform them to not expect help from you until you are able to find a job.

8. If you can reflect on your personal journey, were your aspirations met? What would you do differently if you were to start over again in Canada?

There were challenges along the way but I can honestly say my aspirations have been met. Regardless, I am still striving to learn and make the best of myself.