THOSE WHO STAY CAN HELP OTHERS WALK THE SAME PATH, EASE THE TRANSITION
Deeno Tuger is eager to talk about his role in convincing international students to remain in the community after they complete their studies at Cape Breton University.
But a very Canadian thing is keeping the 34-year-old Nigerian from making his appointment – his car is buried under snow from the latest storm that just happened to hit the area while he was feeling a bit under the weather and, logically, unable to shovel.
Tuger arrived in Canada 10 years ago with the goal of getting a university education that would help him when he returned to his home in Africa’s most populous nation. But after graduating from Cape Breton University, the native of Lagos decided to stick around Sydney – at least for a while.
“When I first came here my plan was to finish school and then go back, but then I thought I would be better off with some Canadian work experience because I knew that would probably help me when I did go back,” he recalled.
But plans change.
“I got a job and I became comfortable — then before I knew it I had a family, and this became my home,” said the 34-year-old, who resides in a quiet Sydney neighbourhood with his Egyptian wife and fellow-CBU graduate Sohalia Abdo and their two-year-old Cape Breton-born son Balil.
Tuger has walked the path of a foreign student trying to make it a new country. He’s overcome the expected obstacles and hurdles of adapting to a community with a different language, culture and lifestyle. Now he is using that experience to help other international students.
Since last August, Tuger has been employed as a retention officer with the Cape Breton Island Centre for Immigration. He sees himself as a perfect fit for the position.
“I have been through most of the things the students are going through and will go through, so I understand their perspective of looking at things in a different way – it really does help when you’ve been through the system, even more because there were actually less support programs then that there are now available in Cape Breton,” he said.
“We’re here to help smooth the immigration path for people.”
And given that Tuger came to the relative quiet of Cape Breton from the hustle and bustle of one of the world’s fastest growing cities (Lagos has a population of 21 million), it’s no surprise that there were a few bumps along way.
“I don’t want to complain, but the weather’s not really so nice in winter,” he said, adding that the climate is one of the biggest concerns of international students.
“They all talk about the weather and it’s mostly the cold. But the snow is something new for many of them and they embrace that as being exciting.”
As a retention officer, Tuger’s job goes far beyond convincing students they will become accustomed to the weather. He’s there to help them find employment and he believes that even part-time jobs are important stepping stones in the process of acclimatizing to a new land.
“It’s all about becoming immersed in the community. If you go to places like Walmart, you will be a great number of international students working there. And that’s great because jobs like that are part of the process of networking and getting to know people,” said Tuger, who also noted that many CBU students are also volunteering in the community.
“They look at things differently and they are willing to go through the process — for them, it’s a new place, they’re excited and they want to make sure they fit into the community.”
Tuger estimates that about 1,500 of the more than 2,600 international students presently enrolled at CBU have parttime employment. He also said most foreign students don’t mind taking on part-time jobs that are considered menial or outside of their areas of study.
“Getting a job while they are studying gives them a sense of accomplishment and can open other doors for them in the future,” he opined.
Other than offering introductions to local employers, Tuger and others dedicated to helping convince international students to remain in Canada have come up with a variety of tactics to prepare them for a new life in a new country.
“For example, we take them to other parts of Cape Breton — Richmond County, Victoria County, Inverness County — with the purpose of showing them the other side of the island and the opportunities that might be available there for them,” he said.
“There are jobs on the other side of the island that need to be filled, so we’re trying to expand the area for job prospects.”
Tuger has already been around long enough to witness what has become a problematic exodus, or brain drain, as bright young students armed with degrees head to more populous areas that offer more employment opportunities than might be available in Cape Breton.
“I also felt that I would have to move away from Cape Breton to get a job because all of my classmates who were from here were applying for jobs in Halifax, Toronto and Alberta,” he recalled.
“But there are jobs here, it’s just a matter of whether or not people want to take those jobs and whether they are willing to work hard to make something happen — many newcomers believe there is plenty of opportunities in Cape Breton, it’s just a matter of perspective.”
And, he might add, it might also be a matter of getting used to the colder temperatures of Nova Scotia’s maritime climate.