Kemoh Masaray, with the Local Immigration Partnership, answers questions from a Grade 8 breakout group of students about his immigration experience in Canada. Students heard from several newcomers at Lakeland College as part of their social studies program. Geoff Lee Meridian Source
Grade 8 students from E.S. Laird and Bishop Lloyd middle schools are boning up on immigration studies after hearing the stories of new Canadians in Lloydminster.
A day of immigration and culture sharing took place at Lakeland College on Friday in partnership with the Gateway for Newcomers program offered by Catholic Social Services.
“Part of Grade 8 social studies is looking at immigration and what it means to be Canadian and how people become Canadian citizens,” explained Bishop Lloyd teacher Derek Hyland.
“As we look at that, we thought it would be pertinent to connect with community members who have come to Canada and learn about their personal first-hand experiences of what it was like for them.”
One of the speakers was Ercelan Yazdani who landed a job as manager of marketing and communications at Lakeland shortly arrived he arrived in Calgary.
His game plan was to live and work in a smaller community with Lloydminster fitting the bill.
“I’ve been here for a year; it’s been a great move,” said Yazdani who is originally from Pakistan but came here from the Middle East.
“My experience that I shared with students was to talk about how important travel is, how important it is to broaden your horizon and how important it is not to be afraid of experiencing new things especially if you know they’re right for you.”
Student Ryan Callbeck says the event was well timed as his class is doing a project on immigration and summed up what he’s learning from the speakers.
“Just what people need to know about immigrating to Canada as well as what people have said about moving here,” said Callbeck.
E.S. Laird teacher Leslie Hyland says her students are studying immigration as a whole in Canada and the impact immigration has, both positive and some of the challenges.
“This is part of their research component,” she said.
“They are learning about the struggles newcomers face when they come to the country and some of the resources available to help them adapt to a new setting.”
Hyland says students at E.S. Laird who are new to Canada have also been sharing their stories in the classroom.
Chinedu Ned, from Nigeria, just arrived in Canada and Lloydminster this past June after working more than 30 years in the oil and gas industry and jumped at the chance to share his story as a newcomer.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity because when you share the things you’ve gone through people are able to learn from it,” said Ned.
“I came to Lloydminster because it has an oil presence and I worked in the oil and gas industry all my life. Lloydminster is the perfect place to come.”
He is currently working as a sales rep in the Lloyd Mall to put beans on the table.
“The community is very welcoming. People are willing to help you get settled. I am excited by the warmth of the city,” he said.
Former Lakeland student Jean Carlo also had the opportunity to share his newcomer story as an immigrant from Honduras.
“I talked to them about my experience and how I ended up in Canada. I’ve been in Canada for nearly seven years,” he said.
“It’s been awesome, the weather is cold but it’s been good to me,” said Carlo.”
Carlo was a member of his country’s national volleyball team who landed a full scholarship to play the game at Lakeland in 2016 and he’s never looked back.
Today he works at Silverwood Toyota as a financial advisor and a product advisor.
As for what he thought about the cultural sharing event he said, “It’s good to share your experience with younger people.”
