Finding Her Voice

“There were always kids around,” Nella says. “It was easy to make friends.”

When her family first arrived at Sojourn House, that sense of connection is what stayed with her. In a new country where everything felt unfamiliar, it was the friendships, the shared routines, and the feeling of not being alone that helped her begin to find her footing.

Nella moved to Canada from Rwanda at 14 with her mother and two brothers. She misses the people, the food, and the sense of familiarity that came with being home. In Canada, building that same sense of belonging took time.

At Sojourn House, she found a place to begin.

“The staff are always there to help you,” she says. “There was always someone to talk to.”

Over time, that sense of connection became something more. It gave Nella the confidence to find her voice.

“I used to be really quiet and shy,” she says. “Now I can speak up for myself. I can talk to people.”

That growth extended beyond confidence. Today, Nella lives in student housing with a roommate. She has built routines, learned how to manage her responsibilities, and gained confidence in navigating daily life. Even small things, like grocery shopping, became part of that shift toward independence.

“You learn how to be independent,” she says.

The Sojourn House scholarship played a key role in that transition. It helped cover costs beyond tuition, including rent and school expenses, and allowed her to focus fully on her studies.

“It took a lot of pressure off,” she says. “I could focus on school and not worry about money. It made me feel like someone believed in me.”

Now in her first year studying social sciences, Nella is thinking ahead to what comes next. She is considering political science, with a long-term goal of studying law, possibly in family law. She is also exploring opportunities to study abroad.

Looking back, she sees how much she has changed, not just in what she is doing, but in how she thinks.

“I’ve grown so much emotionally,” she says. “My mindset is different.”

Her advice to others navigating a similar path is grounded and honest. “It’s not easy,” she says. “You have to adjust. You meet people from all kinds of backgrounds. You might come from somewhere where things were different, and here you have to start over. You work with what you have. You build something from zero. And you learn to ask for help.”

When she was at Sojourn House, she did not know when that chapter would end. “So you just live in the moment,” she says. “You appreciate what you have, and the people around you.”

Now, as she looks ahead, Nella is focused on what comes next, with a growing sense of confidence in her ability to shape it.

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