Nick Noorani Website

This year marks the third year the Canadian Immigrant has sponsored the Lilian To Scholarship for Immigrants at Ashton College in Vancouver. It is a project that is close to my heart because it feels wonderful to know that you’ve actually made a difference in someone’s life. The winners of the past two years have made enormous strides in their chosen fields showing how a little bit of help can turn lives around!
The six winners of this year’s scholarships, worth $25,000, all seem to be very gracious, thankful and optimistic. On a day’s notice, they all trudged out to busy downtown Vancouver for a photo shoot for our front cover this issue, even though a couple of them had to work night shifts later that evening. One remarkable young lady, Vernie Rosella Tan, had worked a shift at Starbuck’s in the early afternoon and then came out to the photo shoot at 6 p.m., even though she should have gone back home to rest because she had a night shift at her second job starting later that evening.

It is this kind of dedication and hopefulness that I see in immigrants every day. They just want a chance to show what they can do, and a scholarship like the one generously donated by Ashton College helps give them a boost.
There are many challenges that newcomers face upon arrival in Canada, one of the biggest being the lack of recognition of foreign credentials and education, which leads many of them to work in survival jobs or return to school for retraining. So I was glad to see that a new federal program, called Canadian Immigrant Integration Project, has been launched in a few cities around the world to help prepare immigrants before they land in Canada. Informing immigrants what to expect in Canada before they arrive is a part of the immigration process that up to now has been ignored, leading to much shock and dissolution once they are finally here.
There’s certainly no winner in that scenario. And it’s time that Canadian employers and the public at large really look at the faces of immigrants and see them for who they are.
Speaking of faces, I encourage our readers to register for the ‘Canadian Immigrant’ Facebook site (www.facebook.com). It’s a great way to network and meet new people from the comfort of your own home.