Maria de Castro Santos De Tina ’15 and her now husband, Paolo, have a modern day ’how we met’ love story. They were first introduced to one another by a mutual friend when Paolo, a Canadian living in Stoney Creek, visited De Tina’s hometown of Fortaleza. “Our friend asked me to show Paolo around the city, but I didn’t speak English,“ says De Tina. “So, I ended up using Google Translate to communicate with him.“ 

The couple married in August 2010, one month after De Tina received her master’s degree in Science from Fundação Antônio Prudente/Escola Cearense de Oncologia, two hospitals located in São Paulo and Fortaleza. Although licensed to work as a physiotherapist in Brazil, De Tina did not have the opportunity to practice in her home country when she moved to Stoney Creek in 2011. 

Prior to leaving Brazil, she had been working as an elementary and high school music teacher for 10 years and was looking for a change in her career. “I felt there was something missing,“ says De Tina. “I wanted to find a field where I could contribute and help others in a way that would be different from teaching music.“ 

To improve her English skills, De Tina enrolled in English as a Second Language courses at Mohawk. “Taking the ESL courses was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,“ she says. “It helped me decide to go to Mohawk to get the hands on training for the career I wanted.“ 

Before classes began, De Tina was nervous she would be the only student in her program who came from another country where English is not a native language. “I quickly discovered I was not the only student from abroad and that made me very comfortable,“ she says. “The diversity of people and cultures is amazing.“ 

In 2015, De Tina graduated from Mohawk’s Occupational Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant diploma program; in 2017, she became a Canadian citizen; and in 2018, in recognition of her many volunteer efforts and growing career success, she was named a Mohawk Alumni of Distinction recipient. De Tina currently works at Brantford General Hospital where she’s doing exactly what she had set out to do with her Mohawk education: making a difference in the lives of patients. 

De Tina says she wants to keep spreading the word about her profession as there are many people who still don’t know what occupational therapist assistants and physiotherapist assistants do. “I carry out the treatment plans of occupational therapists and physiotherapists to help people improve their quality of life,“ she says. 

De Tina’s advice to current students is to take advantage of everything Mohawk has to offer—get involved, volunteer and enjoy this special time in your life of being a student. For those who are thinking about a second career but have their doubts? De Tina says to go for it and bring all of your previous learning with you as you train for a new profession. “If you work hard for what you want and remain focused on achieving your goals, you will make a difference.“ 

By: Mary Teresa Bitti 

This story was originally published in Spring 2019 in the Mohawk Alumni In Touch magazine.