Pathways: From Somalia to the Social Work Diploma

A whole different world

Every Bow Valley College student has a story. Ismael Jilani’s story reaches across continents and cultures, a demonstration of resilience and determination in action. And like many students’, Ismael’s path to Bow Valley College has been long and even winding.

Even if one were to plot a direct path from Somalia to Bow Valley College, it would be about 12,000 km. Ismael, who was born in Somalia and grew up there before coming to Canada in 2022, made that journey.

Though he had left a country that he described as developing and not being in the best situation, Ismael knew it would not be easy coming to Canada. He expected change, but the differences were greater than he had imagined they would be – the climate, the culture, the language.

“The first six months of my life here in Canada was one of the most difficult periods of my life,” he shares.

Though he had wanted to, Ismael had not completed high school in Somalia, having stopped formal education there after 10^th grade. “If you were to graduate high school or even go to university and get a bachelor's degree, knowing that you wouldn't get a job afterwards just dragged everyone down in Somalia.”

Shortly after arriving in Calgary, Ismael took on a job for a few months but knew in his heart he wanted and could do much more. “I decided to quit my job and pursue education, which was a lifelong dream of mine.”

Finding hope at Bow Valley College

After considering several options, including high school upgrading, a visit to Immigrant Services Calgary led to Ismael completing Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) testing, and a referral to Bow Valley College.

Before long, Ismael was a student in Youth in Transition (YiT), an English language learning program offered at the time. It was the new beginning Ismael had been hoping for. “As soon as I stepped foot here at Bow Valley College, things were starting to look better.”

After one term in YiT, he became a stronger reader and developed structure in his writing, skills that had been part of his earlier struggles in Canada. “Somalia is not a country that has English as a spoken language at all. We do have it in writing, but at the same time, we really don’t practice it much,” he shares. Ismael then entered English for Academic Purposes (EAP), a pathway that prepares students for post-secondary studies in Canada.

The program engrained academic writing, note-taking, and research skills – all of which have come in handy. Ismael credits excellent instructors, even happily mentioning that learning the dreaded APA (American Psychological Association) style for citing sources was a highlight.

But it was the shared experience of learning with fellow newcomers that Ismael says became a comfort. “We had something that bonded us together.”

‍Social work is where I belong

At the start of his first term in EAP, Ismael faced the decision of where his path would go next. Thinking back to his early days in Canada, Ismael cites a particular experience as foreshadowing.

“One of the first people who helped me was a social worker,” he says. “She helped direct me to the CLB exam, and also promoted Bow Valley College, telling me about what was offered there.”

After doing some research on social work as a profession, asking people about it, and considering his own character – including a passion for helping people – Ismael applied to enter Bow Valley College’s Social Work Diploma in the fall of 2024.

Completing EAP is considered the equivalent to having grade 12 English (English 30-1 for example) when applying to post-secondary programs at Bow Valley College, so Ismael did not have to complete any high school upgrading as he had initially thought he might.

Ismael had actually applied to enter high school upgrading instead of completing EAP but found out through a presentation in his class that he could complete the admission requirements for the Social Work Diploma by finishing EAP – a much shorter pathway into a career goal.

Today, as he completes his first term in the Social Work Diploma, Ismael is confident in where the journey has brought him. “Everything that social work teaches really empowers me – and empowering people is something that social work advocates for. It's something that I experienced and see that I can do with the people that I know,” Ismael says, referring back to the social worker who helped him. “After the first one or two weeks in the program, I realized that, yes, social work is definitely where I belong. I'm very happy about it and I'm very excited for my career after graduating.”