Hello everyone, my name is Salma (she/her/hers), and I am in my last semester at UBC. I am majoring in Sociology and minoring in Law and Society, and I will be graduating this spring! I currently work full-time as a Youth Settlement Counsellor, supporting the settlement and integration of immigrant and refugee youth into Canada. This includes gathering statistics about the newcomer youth population and trends in their needs and services and reporting back to Immigration, Refugee, Citizenship Canada (IRCC), as well as applying for grants to enhance existing settlement youth programs and promote community inclusion.
My interest in Sociology is primarily focused on immigration, particularly the underemployment/precarious employment of immigrants. Although Canada continues to welcome many immigrants and their families, the support they receive once they arrive in Canada still needs to be improved. Many immigrants end up working entry-level and precarious jobs despite having higher levels of education and work experience than their non-immigrant counterparts due to the lack of international credentials, despite these credentials being the reason they were offered residency to begin with. Thus, there are significant gaps in the immigration process that significantly affect the lives of many immigrant families, underreported in academia and unaddressed in public policy. My work throughout the past five years was to cultivate a greater understanding of this issue.
After graduation, I plan to continue working in my field as I greatly enjoy supporting newcomer youth. I also would like to explore additional schooling, either a Master’s in Public Policy or Law school focusing on immigration policy or immigration law.