Nyandeng Makuol
Profile details:
Current city: Edmonton, Alberta
Year arrived in Canada: 2022
School: University of Alberta
Academic program: BSc. Food and Nutrition
1. What inspired you to pursue your studies in Food and Nutrition of all the academic programs that are available to you?
I got inspired to do Food and Nutrition because I have grown to see the devastating conditions people go through back home due to poor nutrition and nutritional related conditions. Poor feeding and improper knowledge about nutritional requirements during sicknesses, pregnancy and in cases of natural disasters pose many challenges.
2. Do you have any advice to new students joining post-secondary institutions on choosing academic programs and careers for success after school?
My only advice would be to choose a program that they love, and which can also give them financial security. In short, it should be marketable. There should be a demand for professionals in that field.
3. What challenges do you think hinder new students from succeeding in Canada?
There are many challenges that I've observed so far, one of them being too many expectations from families and friends back home. This puts students under unnecessary pressure causing some to lose focus in their studies. Other problems are related the unfamiliarity of Canadian culture, and the need to deal with different kinds of people with different views.
4. How can new students cope with loneliness and feeling out of place when they first arrive in Canada?
They can befriend their new classmates, study partners and workmates. It is easier to cope with loneliness when you are busy. I would advise new students to get busy, read books, get a parttime job. They could also do other fun things like going to the movies or basically do whatever they love doing. The other is to connect with a community of like-minded people who are going to influence them positively.
5. Do you have a mentor? If so, how have they helped you in your academic or professional career?
My uncle is my mentor. He is the one that put me through school and supported me through life. Including, overcoming many other challenges that came along. With no education, he has used his hard work, resilience, and commitment to pave his way to success. And then he employed humanity and a good heart to stretch his hands to support others. What more do you need in this life if you can succeed economically, socially, and morally? Academic success is what I can gift this man as a thank you token.
6. From your experience so far, what does it take to succeed in Canada? (Measuring success in academic and professional terms).
Success in Canada requires both flexibility and open-mindedness. You need to be flexible enough to take another path if your original path does not pan out. Myself, I initially wanted to take pharmacy but currently I am very comfortable where I am. You should be able to weigh your options and focus on the option that suits you best. Be committed to what you love and do best. Believe in yourself and your abilities.
7. Is your racial profile helping or hindering your professional growth? That is, if race is a factor at all.
On a personal level, I haven’t experienced racism yet since I am new here. But should I face it in the future, I will know how to deal with it should it be on the negative side.
8. Do you have any ideas on how new students can manage expectations from friends and family back home?
I think the best way is communicating with them. They must tell them that education is what brought them here and that is that. The rest will come afterwards because as a student, you don’t have much money for your personal expenses, let alone sending back home. The other way is to limit communication. Reducing social media use has proven useful to me. I can focus more on my studies.
9. Seeing how credit scores are important in Canada, do you have any tips on managing money or building a strong credit profile?
Don’t spend more than you need to. Your credit card should always be limited in use and when used it should be paid back on time. I don’t have much knowledge in this are this time, but I think those 2 tips will do.
10.What do you know now that you wished you had known before you enrolled in your first year of university?
I should have known that working and studying at the same time is not a very good idea. Especially in your first and second semester. It is all good now, I managed but next time I will be very careful.
11. 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?
I just got here, so I don’t have much to say on this question.
12. From your experience transitioning to Canadian life and culture, do you have any advice for new students?
My advice is this, don’t jump into everything with both feet. You need to step back and observe first. Analyze everything and decide what best suits you. Interact with many people from different cultures especially of African descent. You will learn a lot from them but be very vigilant, not everything is worth adopting. Grow positively.
