Navigating college life with fellow international students
By: Easton Penner
Cynthia Ramirez Lazo, an International Student Ambassador, wanted to help international students because she had difficulty adjusting to her new life in Canada when she came from Ecuador to Canada in 2023.
“When I came here, I had to do everything by myself,” said Lazo. “I had to figure out how to do certain things and where to go for help.”
International Student Ambassadors help other international students navigate college life and encourage attending school events to support other students. They also help through hosting campus tours, answering questions, helping other students register for classes or buy bus passes.
Lazo has a degree in tourism from Ecuador. She wanted to go to Canada to continue her studies and connect with others.
“I always like to work with people,” said Lazo. “That’s why I took Tourism Management and became an ambassador.”
She travelled the world working on a cruise ship before she came to Canada and credits that as the reason why she wanted to travel for school.
Lazo hopes to help others adjust in Canada and promote inclusivity throughout the campus.
“I want to let students know: I’m here for you. You have a question, I have the answer,” said Lazo. “If you need advice, I’m your person.”
After receiving help from past ambassadors when she first moved to Canada, Yang knew she wanted to become one too.
Jueun Yang, another international student ambassador, graduated with a major in Software Engineering from the University of China in 2023 – she came to Canada in April last year from her hometown of Seoul, South Korea.
“I didn’t plan for school,” said Yang. “I just came here to have a gap year with my open work permit.”
Yang wanted to apply for permanent residency shortly after arriving in Canada.
She had a part-time job, but her co-worker said it would be difficult to apply with just a work permit – she applied for Full Stack Web Development at RRC Polytech to learn more about web design and improve her chances of staying here long-term.
“I like the life here. It’s more relaxed than in Korea,” said Yang. “People don’t judge you on where you come from and your background here, and I feel like I can live more freely here.”
“When I first came here, I didn’t know anyone, and the ambassadors helped me a lot,” said Yang. “I wanted to do the same for other new students.”
