Newcomers to receive $5,000 continuing education scholarships from Western Union Business Solutions
For Suad Badri, Canada is both “heaven and haven.”
The Sudanese refugee, who holds a PhD in Geography and a master’s in electrical engineering, came to Hamilton on her own in 2014, leaving behind three teenage sons and two grown daughters. A professor and community outreach worker at the Ahfad University for Women, Badri had been targeted by Islamic fundamentalists in the Sudanese government for having spent a year on a fellowship in the U.S.
Now, while she waits for her sons to join her in Canada, she is enrolled in McMaster’s Leadership in Community Engagement certificate course, offered through the university’s Centre for Continuing Education. And thanks to a $5,000 scholarship from Western Union, her participation in the program is now that much easier.
Badri is the first student to receive this scholarship, which is specifically designated for newcomers wishing to take continuing education classes.
“Many newcomers arrive here with lots of skills and qualifications from their own countries, which then don’t get recognized – it’s hard getting credentialed in Canada,” explains Suzanne Brown, an assistant director for the Centre for Continuing Education. “Taking continuing education courses means getting an academic credential faster, with more flexibility than a traditional degree program – which is ideal for people who are working or have family obligations.”
Brown points out that Western Union has a particular familiarity for many newcomers, many of whom use the service to transfer funds to family back home, or to pay tuition fees to schools across Canada – including McMaster. Badri says that even as Sudan was under sanctions from the U.S., she was still able to use Western Union to send money to her family – so she says it’s fitting that their scholarship is now helping her further her education.
“Western Union Business Solutions is proud to offer this award to McMaster University Centre for Continuing Education because we believe a high-quality education today leads to better employment opportunities tomorrow,” says Michael Barker-Fyfe, national manager of key accounts for Western Union. “Our mission is to help organizations and individuals move money and goods cross-border to drive economic advancement. We are delighted to support Suad as she completes the final steps in pursuing her research projects and integrates into her new community in Canada.”
While Badri says she would ultimately love to get back into university teaching, she’s noticed many needs within the Sudanese community in Hamilton that have inspired her to focus her efforts on them for now.
To that end, she completed training to teach English as a Second Language and has a project on the go to create culturally relevant ESL learning materials for Sudanese newcomers. She is also deeply involved in many community organizations, including the city’s advisory committee for immigrants and refugees, Hamilton Urban Core and the CityHousing Hamilton Community Access Program.
With her community activities and through her McMaster education, Badri hopes to inspire other newcomers to become active in civic life.
“I realized the value of civic engagement because at my university back home, part of my job was to reach out to the community and make a contribution that way,” she says. “It’s been difficult not being able to find work teaching, so I decided to go back to school. Newcomers have many challenges, but this scholarship has set my mind at ease. I’m able to follow my passion and learn new skills at a very high level.”
