Alumni Stories
Tags: February 2023, Vol. 3, Issue 2
Taiwo Olalekan
I came to Canada in 2017 as an asylum seeker from a country with little to no social support for its citizens or residents. The unexpected and inexperienced social support which I received on my arrival to Canada gave me a perspective on the importance, role, and contribution of social assistance/services to society.
As time pass by, I began to see people with different needs, social inequality, and others in society, I felt the need to contribute toward providing solutions to societal issues, by enrolling in the Social Services Worker (SSW) program at Humber College.
The endless support from all my instructors and academic staff, coupled with the philosophical lens of social service gave me a brother perspective of the history, progress, and achievements of social services from inception till date, the political and legislative roles, including the importance of advocacy.
I got my first employment with a community agency while I was in my second semester in the program. I was also given the opportunity to do my placement with other agencies to acquire more experience. This has been and continued to be a great fit for me as a social service worker while contributing towards a better society.
