Education

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2018 13 BOOTH UNIVERSITY COLLEGE It's no accident Mergia enrolled in the social work program at Booth UC. Born and raised in a refugee camp in Kenya, she came to Canada when she was 14. "Ever since I was little, I've wanted to get into a career where I could help and support people," she explains. "Our family received significant help in the refugee camps from social workers and community workers, so I knew that was something I wanted to do, my way of paying it forward." The place to be Faven's parents were Ethiopian refugees who settled in Kenya and immigrated to Winnipeg in 2006. She attended Daniel McIntyre Collegiate Institute and then the University of Winnipeg but soon discovered Booth UC offered a social work program. Her mind was made up almost from the moment she walked through the door. "I was impressed," Faven says. "The people at the front desk were friendly, and everyone I met was nice. It didn't feel like some huge institution; it felt warm and personal. That's when I knew this was the place where I wanted to pursue my education." Needed support Everything about her three years at Booth UC was amazing for Faven. She loved the smaller classroom settings, but it was the professors who stood out. "If I had questions or wanted to discuss a point made in class, they always made time for you," Faven says. "You felt like you actually mattered." That extended to Booth UC's staff. "From the librarians to the reception desk to the computer lab, everyone made me feel like I was an actual person," she says. Off-campus, Faven was involved with Winnipeg's Ethiopian community. She was a tutor at Peaceful Village, an after-school program that works with young newcomer and at-risk youth, and she mentored high-school students. Top priority Faven graduated in 2014 and was valedictorian at her class convocation. She had hoped to take some time off, but she was almost immediately offered a part-time position at The Salvation Army's Barbara Mitchell Family Resource Centre, where she had completed practicums during her Booth UC time. There, she facilitates a fine- arts class for LEEP, an employment preparation program for newcomers. "I write emails, prepare presentations, network, supervise and mentor staff," she says. "I do everything I do now because Booth UC prepared me for what lay ahead." Faven is also a team leader at Peaceful Village. Her new responsibilities include mentoring Booth UC students doing their own practicums, just as she was once supervised. Last year, Faven was awarded the Strive for Excellence award at the first annual Ethio-Canadian Charitable Promotional Awards held by the Ethiopian community of Winnipeg. Recently, she received the Emerging Leader of the Year award at the African Community Awards and was accepted into the master's program at Athabasca University. "Faven is highly regarded by the Ethiopian community in Winnipeg and a true example of an individual who is able to overcome hardship and reach her dreams," states professor Bonnie Bryant of Booth UC's social work program. "In her work with newcomer youth and as a strong advocate for social justice, she lives out the school's vision—'Education for a Better World.'" "I'm trying to treat people as I was treated, with kindness and generosity and respect," Faven says. "That's my priority now." ❚ Booth UC social work grad Faven Mergia has been accepted into the master's program at Athabasca University. Supplied photo BrandonU.ca/Future-Students From your first notes to your final exams, from studying to socializing, and from your first year to your final year, BU is more than a classroom — we are a community. Join us on campus and see for yourself. See yourself here FULL CIRCLE Faven Mergia was once a stranger to Canada and to Booth UC. Now as a Canadian citizen and a Booth UC graduate, she is paying it forward. "I do everything I do now because Booth UC prepared me for what lay ahead." — Faven Mergia.

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