Adewale: I am Motivated to Promote Mental Health in Canada, Nigeria
Mrs. Oluremi Adewale has been in Canada for over 20 years and has since been working as a registered nurse. In this interview with Zacheaus Somorin in Toronto, she narrated her experiences in Canada – the successes and challenges so far and how mental hea
Since when have you been in Canada? I have been in Canada since January 1992. What was the primary basis of coming then? I came to Canada to join my husband and I knew that coming to Canada would be an opportunity for personal and professional growth for me and for my family.
How were you able to integrate into the society?
Growing up in a family that valued education, I knew that in coming to Canada, I needed to continue my education. I chose to continue my education in the health field. I decided to go to nursing school and I did three years of nursing education where I got my Registered Nursing of Ontario License. After that, I completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and obtained a Master of Science degree in nursing as well. Currently, I am working on my doctoral dissertation on Health Policy and Health Education program. I believe learning should be ongoing. As something that has been ingrained in me by my parents, that perspective helped with my integration into the Canadian society.
So in the course of getting yourself trained in the schools, were there challenges in terms of racism?
I cannot really tell you if there were few Nigerians in Canada then or not because I do not have the statistics. However, if you are asking if I felt discriminated against in my classes at the time I will say no. I had a great relationship with my classmates and my professors and felt that I was treated as fairly as others.
Your profile indicates that you received recognition award by the Mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford. What was that about?
One of my roles as a mental health nurse