Why I left my home country to pursue my dream career

By: Maja Sosa

Hey Sheridan, many of you have probably seen me in the hallways or in the SSU office creating content, or doing some fashion project for Visual Merchandising. But that is not enough to know me completely, so today I will open up a little more and share what makes me more than a student. 

Since I was little, I have been very determined, to the point where one could say “stubborn,” because when I have an idea in my head I cannot remove it until I achieve it. But, if I have learned one thing over time, it is “if you want to get there fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go as a team.” This phrase has become a mantra for my daily life. 

My elementary school to high school years were spent at the same school, but in 2018, I made the decision to work as a digital nomad for my own company, which led me to live in four rooms from 2018 to 2021. In different countries, a life that I loved and to which I was already accustomed.  

I was living in airports, checking in and out, knowing different cultures in Europe, Asia, and America in-depth, doing something that I really liked—which is marketing—and learning to work and live with my colleagues. It was definitely hectic. This experience led me to understand what the word “team” means, and how important it is to know how to be a team. I learned the hard way that it's complicated when you have to live and work with the same people and be in a country far from home, but it was totally worth it. 

So, in 2020...I was living in India collaborating on a project with a university in Pune and I was about to move to China, which is a dream of mine. Then, a very significant event occurred, which I considered to define my future. One day, walking through the streets of India, a little girl bumped into me and started laughing, then she took my hand and put something in it and ran away. I will continue this story later—just keep this event in your mind. 
 
I lived with many people at the time, who I also worked with. That March of 2020 changed my life, since as you’re probably aware that, yes, the pandemic ruined our plans to emigrate once again, making all of us return to Mexico. 

In Mexico, this group of friends and I sat down together to decide what we wanted to do, since we had different goals in our lives. Even though we had been working together for four years, the time came to finish this great project and take off on our separate ways. It was very difficult because, in addition to having a personal relationship because we all lived together, there was a professional who encouraged us to create incredible projects. 

In 2021 I start living a life “at home.” My beautiful Mexico, which I will always love. I am from a city near the capital called Querétaro (if you have the opportunity, visit it or come with me one day!). Querétaro is a city with a lot of technological, entrepreneurial, and innovative progress, sectors in which I had already had experience working in, but for some reason, no longer wanted to continue. I knew (and still know) that my dream career is in the creative industry, which had not yet grown as I would like in this city. 

I started working in a startup company for the marketing area, but it didn't feel very comfortable, so I left. Later, I created a fashion blog and it was a huge sensation, I knew that this was what I liked to do, but my current city didn't match the ideas I had in mind. Finally, I started doing a search for creative cities and that's how I found Toronto. Now the question was: How am I going to get there? It was time to save money and work three times as hard. That whole year, I dedicated myself to having jobs in marketing agencies and selling all my things. It was a tremendous effort because no matter how much I asked friends to move in with me, none of them wanted to do it. I needed my team. 

Finally, in January 2022, I was officially accepted by Sheridan College. Full of emotion, I began to say goodbye to my family and friends because this was serious. Summer arrived and with all the excitement of returning to the airport and starting over in another country, I moved to Canada. What were my next steps? Find and apply for a job, which I consider today to have been my favourite job, working at the Sheridan Student Union. I started working and, I don't know if it was nerves, or because I was in Mexico for a long time, it was difficult for me to communicate at first, but I always tried to give my 100 percent. Little by little, I made friends, and I started to learn how things work in Canada, in the SSU office, and I became part of a new team. 

In addition to the SSU, I have also made good colleagues in my program and the same in my group of friends. There are extremely talented people with whom I began to surround myself and learn a little more about every day. Life in Canada has been a challenge, and although I moved from my country, I am not a nomad here, I am adapting to the living environment. I want to thank all the people who have helped me with my personal and professional training, I admire them very much. 

And that little girl from before? She handed me a pin of the Canadian flag. Coincidence, or destiny?

You are more than a student and your story is more than just words

The More Than A Student series celebrates all the aspects of who you are outside of the classroom. By highlighting each student’s unique experience, the SSU aims to celebrate the diversity on campus, amplify individual stories and empower students to celebrate the fullness of who they are. What makes you #MoreThanAStudent?