Former foster child celebrates citizenship
Years after fleeing war in Angola, Canada is Rosimay’s ‘real’ home
After 16 years in Canada, Rosimay Venancio can officially call this country home.
The 25-year-old Queen’s Young Leaders award-winner became a Canadian citizen on Monday, joining 57 other immigrants at a ceremony in Mississauga.
“It just feels — how can I say it? — it feels real. Real, real, real,” said a beaming Ve- nancio, a few minutes after reciting her oath of citizenship and singing “O Canada” as a citizen for the first time.
It was a special moment for the York University student who says Canada is the “only home” she’s ever known.
Venancio fled war-torn Angola as a child and her parents later abandoned her in Toronto. After spending time in foster care, Venancio was forced to live on her own once she turned 18. Within a few months, she spiralled into depression and attempted suicide.
But amid the turmoil, she carved out a path for herself in Canada — eventually landing a part-time job at the University Health Network and enrolling at York, where she studies health policy.
She also launched a mentorship program called CHEERS — Creating Hope and Ensuring Excellent Roads to Success — which links teens in foster care with young adults who found success after living in the foster system.
For that life-changing project, Venancio was among only three Canadian recipients of this year’s prestigious Queen’s Young Leaders Award.
Venancio says the award ceremony in London actually started the exact same time as her citizenship ceremony — an event she hoped to attend, but ultimately missed over difficulties expediting her citizenship and gaining entrance to the United Kingdom.
Even so, Monday was a day worth celebrating.
“It’s like when the judge said: There’s a difference between renting a house and owning a home. Today, I went from renting to owning,” Venancio said.
Now, the young policy wonk hopes to make some upgrades to her new home by giving back as a mentor and, eventually, finding work in government.
In the meantime, she’s looking forward to finally getting a passport and seeing the world.
“I was looking it up — with the Canadian passport, you can travel to 175 countries, visa free. That sounds exciting,” Venancio said with a smile. With files from Laurie Monsebraaten