Scholarship offers refugee mother a career

This next story is an update to a one we first brought you more than a year ago. A young mother who’s in Canada as a refugee is now on her way to a new career, thanks in part to a report that aired on CHCH News.

Performing simple tasks at her internship, Ileana Pineda is thankful: “That is like a welcome. Welcome Ileana to Canada.”

She is finishing up a placement as a social worker at Micah House — a place that helps people who are new to Canada, something Ileana knows about.

We first met Ileana in October of 2013. She, her mother Marget, father Marissio, and son Mattias were preparing for their first Thanksgiving here.

Ileana: “I guess we are excited”

They had recently been accepted into Canada as refugees. The family fled a dangerous situation in El Salvador, and Ileana was forced to leave university.

What brought Ileana to where she is today is this place — The National Academy. It’s a career college located in downtown Hamilton which gave her a scholarship in the hopes of becoming a social worker.

Jim Jeffery: “Ileana first came to our attention through your item on CHCH last Thanksgiving.”

After seeing our story last year, Jim Jeffery offered Ileana the scholarship — intended for someone who is new to Canada — to take part in their diploma program for social work.

Jim Jeffrey: “We saw a family that had just arrived from Central America, embracing a Canadian tradition, Thanksgiving. So this really means that they want to be Canadian, and that really struck me.”

Not being able to work, Ileana and her family could not have afforded the program, but this scholarship covered everything.

Ileana: “I couldn’t believe it. I was so happy and I’m like, of course I’m going to take it.”

She has spent the past year learning the fundamentals of social work. The program took the last year, which included the internship at Micah House. In that time, Ileana has received permanent resident status, and: “In a couple of years, I will be able to say proudly that I am Canadian.”

Now that she has finished the program, Ileana is looking for work.