I have been living in Vancouver for two months now and I love it. I’d say the most important thing I’ve learned during my time here is that hard work pays off. However, I admit I wasn’t the only one working hard. My being here is a team effort between my family and me. Between applying to university and applying for my visa, my journey has lasted one year. And I wouldn’t be able to have made it this far without my family’s unconditional support.

I always knew I wanted to study abroad; it has always been my dream. Before graduating high school, I wasn’t sure about which degree I wanted to pursue. It was until my mom showed me the program structure for University Canada West’s Bachelor of Arts in Business Communications that I felt so excited about finding what I love. I felt like the program was made for me, so I applied. A few days later, I got a letter that said I was accepted into the program, which made me happy.

So, the next thing I needed to do was apply for a study permit. This was the most complicated part of the process because I had to gather many important documents to submit to the application. It took my mom and me about three months to prepare everything for the application. However, the most stressful part was waiting for a decision on my visa. I waited around three months before the final decision. It was in July that I got my letter of introduction, which meant my application for a visa was approved. I can’t explain how relieved I was to get the news. Everything was finally coming together, and the most stressful part was over.

While preparing for my flight to Vancouver, I was excited to start my new life. What I didn’t think about, though, was how hard it’d be to say goodbye to my family. When I was at the airport saying goodbye, I got emotional thinking about not having my family with me anymore. However, now that I’m here, I realize I’ve made the right choice for my future. I love the city, and I’m glad my and my family’s efforts and sacrifice have paid off.

After half a year living in Canada, I am learning to embrace my new identity: a global citizen. Individually, it’s given me the courage to validate my own experience and live louder because I am more aware of my inner power. Collectively, my sense of home has grown larger. Being a global citizen expands my definition of a community since no matter how different we are historically, culturally, and economically, human beings are interconnected, as long as we embrace our uniqueness and respect others.

Being a global citizen challenges ignorance. But it was not there to defeat us, because in this journey, we, as human beings, find the beauty in unity, in understanding that as our compassion for others grows much stronger, it changes the way we engage with the world.

This year we found ourselves sending hope and prayers to those who were once strangers. We acted, we choose to speak up, we advocated: for climate change, for liberation, for equality, for mental health, for everything that speaks to our hearts.