Getting out from your comfort zone and studying in an alien environment is not an easy thing to do, but it bears the greatest rewards. Ever since I entered post-secondary education, studying abroad has been a dream for me, and the Great White North was always my pick whenever I thought about that dream.
I arrived in Canada as an international student in late February 2012. My story started at the Business-Marketing co-op program in the Lawrence Kinlin School of Business at Fanshawe College, London, Ontario. I am truly grateful that Canada provides opportunities such as the Co-operative Education Program, which helps students integrate academic study with paid, related work experience. As an international student, it was a golden opportunity that allowed me to work for a year as a co-op student at Voyageur Transportation. My time at Fanshawe was a dream come true but also provided the opportunity to go abroad on exchange to the Netherlands in 2013 and Wales in 2014.
Although I have received eleven accolades, including two national and one provincial award within the last three years, life in Canada is not just only about academics. It is also about extra-curricular activities and being involved in the community. At my school I have volunteered at the International Centre, Business School, Learning Centre, Student Union, among other capacities. At the community level, I have volunteered for the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, the London food bank, the Color Run, and local music festivals. I am a cricket fanatic and played softball at Fanshawe Intramural which was an amazing experience, but unfortunately, we lost in the semis!
Studying in a foreign country imparts not only academic excellence in an individual but also the exposure is beyond all imagination. Back home I was shy and nervous who was afraid of taking a leap of faith. I am now a guy who loves to take challenges head on and Fanshawe taught me how to develop my potential. When I look back at my decision to come to Canada, I realize I could not have made a better choice! Like me, you can also make your own success story – all it takes is hope and faith.
– Rumman Ullah Khan, Fanshawe College
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