Maintaining mental health makes personal and professional success more attainable for international students

Close your eyes and imagine yourself far away — now imagine trying to keep up with the demands of a new school or job, while adjusting to a different culture, without your family and friends to support you. Starting life in a foreign country can be stressful. For the thousands of international students studying and working in Canada, maintaining positive mental health is vital to succeeding abroad.    

Led by Career Services, International Student Services, SU Wellness Centre, and supported by the Campus Mental Health Strategy, International Students’ Success in Canada promotes UCalgary international students’ mental health as they explore and progress through the stages of personal and professional development.    

Liliana Gonzalez of UCalgary Career Services notes that cultural background shapes our understanding of what success means and how to achieve success in our personal and professional lives. "Coming to a new country, international students face unique challenges, like encountering conflicting values between their home and host country, new processes or requirements for finding a job, and may experience a sense of loneliness. All these new experiences can ultimately impact their mental health," Gonzalez explains.  

"We hope that by attending this event, international students will feel encouraged to engage in more help-seeking behaviors, be more confident with handling setbacks and with pursuing their careers, and will develop a support network that can ultimately help them succeed in Canada."  

Hosted on Nov. 2, the event offers three engaging sessions — international student panel, employer panel, and creating career connections — with the intention of reducing stigma and promoting wellness for UCalgary’s diverse international student population.   

Students and employers welcomed  

Listen to current international undergraduate, graduate students and alumni as they speak about adjusting to life in Calgary. In this session, panel members will speak about how the strategies they use to stay resilient in the face of social and cultural differences help them achieve personal and professional success in Canada.   

International students will also hear from employers in several sectors discuss how to successfully apply for jobs in Canada. Employers will share insights including what they look for when hiring international students, potential barriers for candidates, and tactics to overcome them. 

Creating Career Connections   

Attendees are encouraged to continue the conversation in the networking session, to deepen panel discussions, build relationships and expand networks. To ensure participants can fully participate, childcare will be available.   

UCalgary international students and family members are welcomed to register for International Students’ Success in Canada on Nov. 2 from 3 to 6:30 p.m. in the Alberta Room (Dining Centre).   

International Students’ Success in Canada is one of the 2017 Campus Mental Health Strategy grant winners. The Campus Mental Health Strategy Grants were created to get our community thinking about how they can foster positive mental health and wellness, and help build a supportive environment, through their own big ideas. Visit the CMHS website for more information on grants.