Finding a safe space to learn and grow

By Oliver Cercal Kreutzer De Goes
Journalism student

My name is Oliver, and I am in my second year of the Journalism program.  

I moved to Canada in 2020 from Brazil. As a person with OCD, anxiety, and ADHD, I experienced a lot of challenges in my home country. In Brazil, since the LGBTQ+ community, people with mental health conditions, and diverse communities are not widely accepted, a childhood friend living in Toronto, encouraged me to move to Canada.  

So, I chose to leave Brazil and move to Hamilton.  

Mohawk College made me feel safe and accepted. Even the sign saying "we love our students" with the pride flags was very touching. In Brazil, if you identify as LGBTQ+, chances are you will experience negative consequences and possibly violence. It is nice to be able to be myself. 

Change is always hard to deal with. I am not the kind of person that enjoys abrupt change.  

In the past, I spent some time in Japan. When I moved there, it was a drastic change for me. However, the experience was different because I was mentally prepared for it. I knew the duration of my stay, and knew I was eventually going to go back to Brazil and would get to see my family.  

It is different now.  

I have no idea how long I will be here in Canada. I do not know when I will see any of my friends or family. Sometimes I feel insecure and homesick, but I know I must stay strong and keep going.  

Currently, I am living with other students. Although I am glad I met them and became friends with them, I miss everyone back home. It was not easy saying goodbye, but with the help of the internet, I can stay connected with my friends and family.  

Stories have always been an important part of my life and I assume that is why I enjoy the journalism program so much. I truly believe every story is worth telling, you just have to find a way of making it interesting.  

As a child, I spent a lot of time by myself and enjoyed reading books, comics, and video games. I learnt a lot by playing video games in English. In fact, I have never had formal English classes.  

So, being in the journalism program where you must write a lot becomes challenging sometimes. However, I am reading a lot more and trying my best to keep up with my classes. 

I really like Mohawk College. I appreciate how caring the staff members are. Most of all, I enjoy being able to tell people’s life stories in a place I feel safe.