My name is Ebunoluwa Soneye
I am a second year McMaster student
in the program of social work.
My immigration story started about three years ago.
I moved to Hamilton with my Mom and my brother.
My Mom choose Hamilton because
she wanted a place that had a little bit of
home feeling and safety.
And she didn't want to go to Toronto because she
felt like it was too busy of a city.
And she wanted a place that was close to other cities
kind of a big city as well.
But a very nice place to raise a family.
Which I think that she deduced from the environment
and what is just looked like.
I think that my Mom has a very, hawkeye type of view
because we didn't know anybody in Hamilton, but she
stayed in Hamilton for a day and she figured out this
is where she wanted us to be.
Yeah, it's been an interesting process for the past 3 years.
Still trying to settle in in some ways, but in other ways
I feel like we have adjusted pretty quickly.
Yeah, and that's our story.
The first time I felt like I was in Hamilton, um...
was the day we,
literally the day we came into Hamilton I remember just
looking out the window and I'm like, this is happening,
it's real. The place that I've spent the majority of my life
that's not it anymore. I'm in a new place
where I have to embrace the culture, learn how to settle in,
learn how to maintain my own identity while
still understanding the space in which I'm functioning in.
I remember just like looking at the Jackson Square building
downtown and I was just in shock, this isn't real, someone
needs to pinch me because there is no way that I'm here.
That feeling lasted for, a good year.
I remember any time that I would walk to school...
I remember watching Disney Channel my entire life,
I saw these things on TV, but this is a whole new
environmental change.
I really love and appreciate the aesthetic that
Hamilton has, with the old buildings and
everything. It's just so beautiful how you can go from
seeing these really tall old buildings downtown to seeing
houses further out of Hamilton.
I remember adoring the beauty of Hamilton, the trees,
the mountains, all of it. Winter was super.
I get cold really easy, but I didn't focus on the cold that
summer, I'm just amazed I could see snow.
In Nigeria it's a very hot and temperate place,
so I had never seen snow my entire life.
It's just a very aesthetically pleasing space.
I love cameras and social media, and all of that stuff
like other teenagers my age. (laughs)
But, I think it's a very beautiful place to be in.
A moment when I felt really welcome in Hamilton was
probably in the first year of moving in high school.
I went to Cathedral High which is in downtown Hamilton.
Actually I had graduated High School in Nigeria
because the age system there is much faster.
I graduated High School at sixteen.
But, when I moved down here I had to go back two years
and then start High School again at grade 11
because of the age differences.
But I remember the one moment that I felt super welcome
was the day during my lunch where,
the student success centre teachers actually reached out to
me and just asked me what I wanted.
At first I wasn't sure how to answer the question, because
I don't know if they mean, do I need new books?
Do I want a teacher to explain things differently?
But I just told them well ok, here's a list of things that
we are trying to get at home. And they showed up
the next day with every single thing on that list,
like it was no big deal, like they hadn't just spent
a ton of money (laughs)
trying to get those items for us.
They didn't ask if we could afford it.
They didn't ask if that was the reason why.
They didn't ask if it was financial issues that didn't allow
us to afford it, or anything like that, they just said,
You need something, you're a newcomer
we are here to support you and the followed up with me
every single day throughout my High School journey.
Even until now I am still in contact with them
and they play such a significant role in
helping me feel welcome.
When you're young and you migrate, your 'job' (laughs)
is school. So you have to focus on school.
But if your main focus is school and they make you feel
welcome in school, then it sets a good foundation
for everything else.
I don't think I can tie home down to a place.
I think that my definition of a place that feels like home
is a place where I feel safe.
A place where I have hope, a place where I can dream.
And believe that one day I will be able to attain
those dreams.
So I think, a major turning point for me where I felt like
Hamilton was home was,
at the end of my High School journey when
a couple of friends and I got invited to do a few
things at McMaster. A few conferences and all that and
I remember just walking into these rooms being the only
17 year old, and sitting in the same place as graduate
students and all that.
They don't know our age. (laughs)
Are we really supposed to be in here?
At the end of the program we got to speak to the person
that invited us and she found out about our age
and she was super impressed that we could add to the
conversation despite being young.
I think in that moment I felt like,
this is something you can do
there's room for you to be.
There's room for you to create,
there's room for you to dream and attain things.
So I remember sitting in the space where I occupied as a
grade 11, grade 12 student.
Looking at people who are like 5 years down the line
of what my plans are and thinking I can do that.
I can be there one day.
So I think that was a signifying moment
when Hamilton felt like home to me.
Hi, my name is Ebunoluwa Soneye
and Hamilton to me is a land of opportunities
where I can set goals, work hard, dream big,
and know within my heart of hearts that I can achieve
everything, and anything I set my mind to do.
