Making It Happen

John is about to graduate from college and has applied to continue his studies at one of Canada’s top universities.

A few years ago, he would not have believed this was possible.

“If you told me this three or four years ago, I wouldn’t have believed you,” he says. “Now I feel like I’m actually making my dream in Canada happen.”

Today, he is focused, determined, and looking ahead. His path here, however, was not straightforward.

At 19 years old, John arrived in Canada alone, stepping off a flight at Toronto Pearson International Airport with little more than a sense that this was where his future would begin. Growing up in Ethiopia, he had imagined something different. A smoother transition, something closer to the movies he loved watching.

“I thought it would just… work out,” he says. “Like in the movies.”

Instead, he found himself navigating an unfamiliar city, eventually boarding a streetcar that brought him to his first stop: the emergency shelter at Sojourn House.

The early days were overwhelming. Everything felt unfamiliar. The systems, the pace of life, even the weather.

“It was way harder than I thought,” he says. “Being a newcomer, you don’t really know how things work. There’s a lot of waiting, a lot of uncertainty.”

There were moments when he wasn’t sure he could keep going. But at Sojourn House, he found a place to start building.

Staff supported him in navigating life in Canada, helping him secure his work permit and then his permanent residency, connecting him with a doctor and counsellor, and guiding him through those first critical steps.

“I don’t think I could have done it on my own,” he says. “If I hadn’t gotten help, I don’t think I’d be in college now. I’d just be working, trying to survive.”

Instead, John began building a foundation. And that foundation became even stronger when he received the Sojourn House scholarship.

“It was a lifesaver,” he says. “I had just lost my job, and then I got the email. I couldn’t believe it. I was like, ‘Wow, I actually got it.’”

The support allowed him to focus fully on his studies at a local college, where he is now completing a diploma in General Arts and Science. For someone who grew up immersed in movies and comic books, even learning English through film, he is now thinking seriously about his future, including pursuing Media Studies at the University of Toronto.

“I did this,” he says. “I’m making my dream in Canada happen.”

Today, John is most proud of how far he has come. “I was in a place where I felt stuck,” he says. “But I kept going.”

When he reflects on his journey, his message is simple.

“It’s not easy,” he says. “It takes time. But you just have to keep going, and there are people who will help you.”

Note: Name has been changed, and a stock image is used to protect the individual’s privacy.