A Life Taking Shape

On weekends, Bisharo Aden likes to sit outside with a cup of coffee while her six-year-old daughter plays soccer nearby in the field behind their home. Sometimes they play together. Other times, Bisharo reads articles in English, continuing the learning routine she has built for herself over the last few years.

It’s a simple kind of peace that once felt very far away.

When Bisharo arrived in Canada from Somalia in 2021, Toronto was in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She was raising a young child, navigating an unfamiliar city, and trying to rebuild her life in a language she did not yet understand.

“The first year I was in Canada, I didn’t understand anything,” she says. “I didn’t understand the language and didn’t know where to go.”

After arriving at Sojourn House, Bisharo slowly began building confidence in her new life. She focused on learning English, listening to podcasts while cooking and cleaning, and reading articles every day to strengthen her skills, in addition to her daily English classes.

“I had a dream to continue my studies wherever I wound up in the world,” she says.

That dream eventually led her toward healthcare. After experiencing serious illness and loss within her family, Bisharo says she was inspired by the care and support they received and wanted to help others in the same way.

Today, she is studying personal support worker courses while completing the prerequisites for nursing school.

Along the way, she has learned that progress doesn’t always happen on the first try.

Bisharo recently passed her Canadian citizenship test after not succeeding the first time. Instead of giving up, she studied again, rewrote the test, and passed on her second attempt. She is now waiting for her citizenship ceremony.

“I am so happy,” she says. “I can’t wait.”

Over the last few years, she has also found confidence in places she never expected. She recently started running to stay active and healthy, something that once would have felt intimidating in a city where she barely spoke the language.

“When I first got to Canada, I thought, you are a woman. You can’t do anything. Just stay home and cook and clean,” she says. “But now I build connections everywhere I go. I’m studying, I raise my daughter, and I do everything myself.”

More than anything, Bisharo says she is proud of continuing to move forward, even when things feel uncertain.

“I know what’s good for me,” she says. “And I choose that.”