Alumna Ana Masoud, student Meghana Reddy Allipur and host Aaron Fauteux recording the WE Belong Podcast episode highlighting their experiences as international students in Windsor, Ont. (SUBMITTED BY VICTORIA ABBOUD/ University of Windsor)
By Lindsay Charlton
Starting a new chapter is already difficult; starting one in a new country oceans away comes with its own set of challenges.
A University of Windsor student and recent graduate shared what it was like to move to Canada as an international student on a recent episode of the WE Belong podcast, discussing the trials, opportunities and insights that go along with it.
The show, hosted by Aaron Fauteux and produced by Workforce WindsorEssex and the Windsor-Essex Local Immigration Partnership (WE LIP), highlights the stories of newcomers in the region.
Adjusting to Canada
Meghana Reddy Allipur, a student in the Master of Engineering program (MEng), left her home in India for the first time at age 23 in search of fresh opportunities in the mechanical engineering field.
“I’ve never been away from my family, so coming here all alone and doing everything all by myself was really hard,” she said. “But as days progressed, I started to set a routine and slowly leaned into this life. Now I’m OK and confident enough that I can take care of myself.”
As Allipur researched where to move for more diverse opportunities, the United States and Canada stood out. She stayed with an uncle in Brampton before starting her program at UWindsor; he helped her settle in and secure housing.
But with only her tuition covered, Allipur needed to earn money to afford rent, groceries and other expenses.
“Finding a part-time job initially was really hard for me,” she said. “It took me about five months before I could find anything. It was through a reference that I got the first job.”
Working as a sales associate, Allipur was able to get some money in her pocket and eventually land a second job more in line with her interests.
“I also got an opportunity as an instructor for school kids. I get to teach all ages about robotics,” she said. “They are smart and really interested in learning all about it. It gives me joy when teaching them.”
While she described the winters as a “shock,” given she’s from the south of India with a much warmer climate, she has adapted to the culture and made good friends here.
“The people here are really welcoming,” Allipur said. “As a new student, they helped me as much as they could. I also make sure I get out and network, meet new people and go to different events when I can.”
Alumna Ana Masoud and current student Meghana Reddy recording the WE Belong Podcast episode highlighting their experiences as international students in Windsor, Ont. (SUBMITTED BY VICTORIA ABBOUD/ University of Windsor)
Starting over again
For recent graduate Ana Masoud (MEng ’24), her experience was different, having left an established life with a career, home and family in Iran to start over at age 35.
“It was so hard to leave everything behind,” Masoud said. “I love my country, but with the economy and government, it’s a lot of pressure there, so we needed to get out.”
Masoud and her husband weighed programs in Australia and Canada before choosing to come here, drawn in part by their family connections in the Toronto area.
But as an adult, navigating the Canadian system proved challenging.
“How banks and credit cards work here was a bit complicated for me. We don’t have credit cards back in my country, so I didn’t know how to raise my score or avoid penalties and things like that,” she said. “Fortunately, my cousin worked in banking and was able to help me out and tell me what I needed to do.”
With a master’s degree already under her belt, Masoud still decided to further her education while in Canada and enrolled at UWindsor, where she was drawn toward environmental engineering.
While she focused on her studies, her husband was dealing with the uncertainty of looking for work, something he also struggled with.
“He sent out almost 200 résumés and eventually he was able to get a general labourer job at an automotive factory,” Masoud said. “Usually, the job description doesn’t say it, but you need to have some sort of Canadian experience to get higher positions. It doesn’t matter if you were a manager in your country.”
Now working as a wastewater supervisor in an industrial plant, Masoud said having a referral was key.
“He took an exam to get his certification here and everything, but you need to have some sort of reference,” she said. “In Iran, he studied chemistry, and he had the education and experience, but the reference really helped to get him the position.”
Having made connections while getting her degree, Masoud had an easier time breaking into the Canadian job market. She found a part-time administrative job through an event hosted by a local tech non-profit, where she connected with a project manager who encouraged her to apply for an open position.
Since graduating last year, Masoud has landed a full-time position in her field, working as a quality assurance supervisor at Cavendish Farms in Wheatley, Ont., where she hopes to continue to grow.
“We moved to Kingsville, and I really like it here,” she said. “If you try hard, you will get where you deserve. But there are some bumps in the road.”
Finding belonging
Masoud and Allipur discuss their experiences with the job market, culture shock and more on the WE Belong podcast, something they were encouraged to do by their professor, Dr. Victoria Abboud.
“I’ve listened to the podcast and it’s a full-circle talk about how folks settle in and how they perceive their belonging and what we as a community or region offer to help support their goals and needs,” she said.
She said it was neat to witness Allipur and Masoud in this conversation.
“They were very honest,” Abboud said. “There is some wonderful community here, but there are also real challenges, and I was happy to see them not be afraid to talk about those experiences. I thought that was a really important part of the interview.”
Along with acting associate dean in the Faculty of Engineering, Darryl Danelon, Abboud leads the EMPOWR (Engineering Meets Professional Orientation and Workplace Readiness) program at UWindsor.
The initiative supports international and domestic MEng students in building skills that enhance their employability, offering professional development and career-planning tools.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with this program for over a year now,” Abboud said. “And just anecdotally, students come and talk about some of their challenges, some of their experiences, some of the wins, some of the losses.”
“These are students who have gone to great lengths — themselves, families and their larger communities — to ensure that they can come here to pursue these programs, and I think that’s an important perspective that we don’t often hear.”
Allipur and Masoud agree and hope that sharing their experiences helps others feel seen and supported.
“I hope it will help them to see they’re not alone,” Masoud said.
“It can get really lonely when you are away from your family,” Allipur added. “At least I felt that last year, and I like to listen to podcasts and hear stories from around the world, and when it’s something I can relate to, it feels nice and comforting.
“I thought when I share my story, and when Ana shares hers, people might feel that their voices are being heard.”
Listen to the full conversation on the latest episode of the WE Belong podcast at workforcewindsoressex.com/we-belong-podcast/
From left to right: alumna Ana Masoud and current student Meghana Reddy, University of Windsor professor Dr. Victoria Abboud WE Belong Podcast host Aaron Fauteux and WE LIP project coordinator Aya Roumie. (SUBMITTED BY VICTORIA ABBOUD/ University of Windsor)