Meet Face of London Luis Ayala!

Luis Ayala migrated to Canada as a young man from El Salvador with his family in 2009.  Luis currently works for TD Bank as an Easy Line Specialist and is heavily involved in the London community through his commitment to volunteerism and giving back.

Luis talks about what a long journey to Canada his family travelled.  It was about 6,000 miles from his hometown in El Salvador to Montreal, Quebec.  After about a week, Luis’s father moved his family to London in search of better opportunities. Luis’s father identified London as an optimal place to raise his young family, due to the fact that London is a mid-size city with potential for future growth opportunities.   
Luis is grateful for the experiences and opportunities available in London. However, he acknowledges that this is likely true of many places in Canada, and that one need not stay here to take advantage of a full Canadian life. However, based on his life experiences, London has grown to have special place in his heart. He says that there are a lot of things that you can do in London, such as getting involved in the community.

After 6 years of living in London, Luis appreciates his community and places an emphasis on the importance of giving back.  He is currently involved with the United Way London Life Youth United Initiative, an initiative that he identifies as integral to community building. Luis is also involved with the Big Sisters and Brothers of London as a big brother to a young boy that he now considers to be family. Exhibiting his love for people and dedication to giving back, he also volunteers for London Mission Services, where he spends quality time listening to people share their stories and life experiences with him.

In his message to Londoners, Luis gratefully acknowledges the positive impact that fellow Londoners have had on his family’s life.  He feels that Londoners have been pretty awesome throughout the sometimes tumultuous journey, influencing his appreciation for the lending hands that provided his family with support along the way. He says that it was all the help that they received along the way “which prompted us to think about how we have to start getting involved within the community and start giving back”.  

It is based on his life experiences, that Luis offers the following advice to newcomers: “I do understand that it is hard journey, but my one advice is to get involved as soon as possible- because you never know what another hand can do for you.”
“Get out there and get involved!”

Meet Face of London Pearlette Cassells!

Pearlette was originally born in Jamaica and settled in London almost 17 years ago. She first came to visit "the great city of London," to see her aunt. Shortly after that trip, she decided to make London her new home.

Adjusting to the weather was by far one of the more difficult issues Pearlette faced when coming to Canada. She recalls her cousins and aunt teasing her about the number of layers she was wearing each day before she went out. "My cousins would say how many layers do you have on today? And I would say oh my goodness I have three pairs of socks on today". She remembers how helpful her family and Londoners were when it came to helping her find appropriate clothing to help her adapt to the cold winters of Southern Ontario.

Currently Pearlette works for the Ministry of Transportation. Highway safety is of primary importance in all ministry decisions and she ensures volunteers in the Adopt-A-Highway Program receive safety training. Her favourite aspect of the city of London is the diversity within the city. "I love the diversity of London, there's so many different people and in my volunteer initiatives, I get to meet a wide cross section of people". She is involved with four major volunteer initiatives which include: the London Cross Cultural Learners Centre, The North East Community Conversations, Western University, and the Canadian French Association of Ontario. Pearlette has been involved in these programs for several years.

Volunteerism has also been a major facet of her life and source of satisfaction for Pearlette. Assisting others with adjusting to Canada as international students, newcomers, and those who speak French embody her passion for bettering the city of London. For Pearlette, her firm belief in being the change you want to see in the world is exemplified by the three major things she wants to change: "appreciation, compassion, and kindness". As Pearlette eloquently describes, "we all have goals and dreams, we all matter in this world, every single person is important and I cherish just saying hello to someone and how's the weather".

She encourages both Londoners and newcomers to connect with each other. For newcomers, there are a number of excellent services available within the city to help, including the many places where Pearlette volunteers. Her advice for those living in the city is to start small and reach out to your neighbour. Get to know them, "introduce yourself to your neighbour because you might be surprised we're not so different. We might be from different countries with different customs but we all want to build our communities into healthy and happy communities".    

Meet Face of London Dr. Sherin Hussien!

Sherin moved to Canada on March 31, 1999 from Egypt. She arrived and lived in Oakville, Ontario for almost two years before applying to the PhD in Health Sciences program at Western University. Sherin completed her PhD in 2007 and returned to Egypt to teach for 1 year. She came back to London and currently works at the London Cross Cultural Learner Center (CCLC) as a Community Educator, is a visiting professor at Western University, and an Associate Professor at Alexandria University. 

Sherin’s current position at the CCLC is in the Client Support Services program. She primarily works with Government Assisted Refugees.  Sherin and her team help to settle newcomers into the community during their first year here.  She finds the program great for her clients, and says that her job is both stressful and rewarding at the same time.

           

Sherin has been very involved in the London community since she moved here.  Even though volunteering was not a concept that she was familiar with in Egypt, when she came to Canada it was integral to her gaining Canadian experience, building her networks within the community, and discovering where she can fit in. Before coming to Canada, Sherin earned a Masters in Exercise Psychology from Egypt.  She initially started volunteering within her community at the London Muslim Mosque. When they opened a gymnasium attached to the Islamic daily school, this presented the perfect opportunity for Sherin to approach the Imam of the Mosque with her skills as a kinesiologist and they could talk about ways in which she could get involved. She started health and well-being classes in 2001 that are still running to this day. She attributes volunteerism as the key to her settlement and inclusion process, because it allowed her to build her social support systems and networks so that she would not feel isolated. She said that this community exercise group that she fostered is her second family. Moreover, this exercise group became an important part of her dissertation.  Sherin says that her community supported her research.

Some of the other ways she is involved in the community include, her founding and participating in the Muslim Women’s Community support group. In a post 9/11 society, this group of women wanted to open their doors and educate people and fight islamophobia. With many women wearing the Hijab and integrating into many facets of the London community, they were able to support each other and educate the broader public.  Sherin is a big proponent of social integration and celebration of cultural diversity.  She highlights the important role of the Cultural Diversity Days hosted by the CCLC and the annual Christmas Bazaar hosted by the London Muslim Mosque. The Bazaar has grown to become a landmark event uniting Muslims and Christians in London and celebrating the holiday season. 

Overcoming barriers and helping each other is Sherin’s mantra to success in Canada. In addition to her involvement with the Muslim women’s social committee, Sherin is also a long time member of the London and Middlesex LocalImmigration Partnership (LMLIP) through the Health and Well-Being Sub-Council. As a key player in the Seeds of Change Project, Sherin is helping to open dialogue and bring about change. In addition, Sherin is also a co-founder of the Hope Committee at the CCLC, a group dedicated to working as a bridge between individual migrants and the government.  It essentially gives hope and support to others in their time of need.

When asked her advice for newcomers, Sherin says that it is imperative for people to:

1. Seek professional advice and services and 2. Seek a Counsellor because everybody suffers from a degree of post- traumatic stress disorder due to moving to a new country. From her own experience, she recalls: “When I first arrived in Canada, I did not want to lose my cultural heritage, I wanted to close my doors and learn that way”, but she soon realized that through continued involvement and her desire to grow, it was better to open her doors. Her current advice is for newcomers to open their doors little by little, start off with what they are comfortable with and branch out from there. She advises everybody to take advantage of the wonderful programs available, make mistakes, and most of all “go asking for advice from the right sources”.

Sherin says London is a “Wonderful city- very welcoming” with friendly people from her neighbors to colleagues at work. Her two children and husband also love it here, and she now considers London to be home. She would tell everyone living in London to “love each other”  and that “Canada is a wonderful place to be” with no limits to dreams and opportunities. 

Gabriella: Winner of the MCBA Prize 2015 Juror's Special Recognition of Merit Award

Gabriella was recently awarded the Minnesota Center for Book Arts Prize 2015 Juror's Special Recognition of Merit Award for her work titled, The Book of Hours.

Artist:Gabriella Solti
Title of work: The Book of Hours
Photo credit: Gabriella Solti

The work was described as "a unique, 120 page codex that expresses the artist's personal values relating to labour.  The pages of the books are hand sanded chromium oxide and silicon carbide microfinishing films - surfaces that are extremely hard to erase - , interwoven with hand coloured frosted mylar and meticulously bound into a codex."

You can see more images of the work and read more about Gabriella's vision for the piece here.

Congratulations Gabriella!

Meet Face of London Gabriella Solti!

Gabriella Solti has many talents.  She is a mother, a visual artist, a computer scientist, and a volunteer.  Gabriella was born in Hungary and raised under a Communist regime.  In Hungary, she studied Computer Science at the Undergraduate and Graduate level, worked as a researcher and eventually became a Senior Manager with Hewlett Packard.  After meeting a colleague who was living in Canada, and learning that Canada had an immigration program, Gabriella applied to move here as a Landed

Immigrant.

She was successful in her application and came to Canada with her two young children.  Prior to moving, she had been sending resumes from Hungary, and she was offered work two weeks after relocating.  Again, she was employed by Hewlett Packard in Canada.

When it was time for her children to go to University, Gabriella decided that she would go too!  From the age of 6, she had wanted to be an artist, but felt it was not a good profession to pursue in Hungary. Now she had the opportunity. She completed her undergraduate degree in Visual Arts in Vancouver and her Masters’ Degree at Western.  Currently she is a lecturer in the Visual Arts Department and also holds two other part time positions. 

Gabriella combines her background in Technology with her Art.  The course she teaches is titled, Making Art with Accessible Technology.  She has also brought these skills to a project at the Children’s Museum where she developed a program for children where they paint using Brush-Bots (robotic toothbrushes).  See a video of the project here!

Gabriella says that “life is easier” in Canada, “just to manage is easier”.  When asked why she has stayed here, she speaks of the wonderfully supportive arts community in London.  She advises those new to London to volunteer in an area you are interested in, and also to find a Mentor.  She says that London is an open-minded city and she encourages newer Londoners to “keep it up”.

Meet Face of London: Dawood Al-Mosuli

Dawood is originally from Iraq, but lived for 6 years in Syria before immigrating to Canada.  In Syria, he successfully established a small plant.  Once the revolution began, he applied to the Canadian Embassy to immigrate to Canada and was successful.  This is his fourth year in Canada.

Dawood attended the University of Western Ontario to earn his Masters in Chemical Engineering.  Currently he is doing research, writing and publishing papers, and volunteering.  He has worked as a Research Assistant, written a book chapter and is currently applying to be a member of the Professional Engineers of Ontario.

Life for him has been very busy since coming to Canada.  He said that the only time he has had to watch a movie is when he has been on an airplane.

He researched which city he wanted to move to on the internet before he moved to Canada.  London appealed to him as it was more affordable than places like Toronto, has a well-known University and is a conservative city. He sees London as a good place to raise a family and has found the city to be very welcoming.

When asked about his involvement with the community, Dawood stresses that the key for newcomers, is to go to school.  He feels that learning about the culture, how to manage your life, and the ways of Canadians is learned through the LINC school (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada), which is free.  This kind of schooling provides more than just learning the language—“it is the key to being successful as an immigrant”.  It teaches you how to become like other Canadians:  how to behave, how to give compliments (compliments here are so different than from home) and how to avoid mistakes. He suggests taking the TOEFL or the IELTS exams and getting a Canadian certification or qualification in your profession or field.

Meet Face of London Betty Tam!

Betty and her husband moved to London 25 years ago from Hong Kong. The couple had always wanted to explore the world and Canada seemed like a great place to live. Although they knew a lot about Toronto, a friend told them about London. After a trip to London in their rental car from Toronto, they decided they would prefer to live in the beautiful Forest City!

It was important for Betty and her husband to live in a city that was welcoming towards Chinese immigrants – and offered delicious Chinese food! In the beginning, the couple faced challenges, especially when speaking English. In Hong Kong, they had taken English classes but the English lessons focused mainly on British English so they had to get used to Canadian English. However, the couple found that Londoners were welcoming and frequently gave the couple friendly smiles and double-doubles from Tim Horton’s!

Today, Betty and her husband own Forever Homes, a construction company that builds new homes in London. They are also currently involved in building a 14-storey student housing apartment across from Fanshawe College, which will officially open in September 2015.

Betty is also very involved in London’s community through her church. In particular, Betty and her husband support the church’s Asian Fellowship program, which provides assistance to Asian immigrants of all ages, including international students at Western and Fanshawe. Betty believes her experience 25 years ago helps her to connect with newcomers and help them through the transition. To the newcomers that arrive, Betty advises them to always move forward, not backward. She tells them that Christopher Columbus said “you can never cross an ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore,” so when you arrive, you just have to step out and move forward. Betty believes stepping out is possible in London because of London’s “open hearts and open minds!”