BY CRAIG GILBERT
Wudu Lado, driven to a refugee camp in Kenya from his hometown of Juba, Sudan by civil war, won the lottery about six years ago.
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Laurentian student life manager Denis Lauzon was recently awarded the World University Service of Canada Citizen of the World Award. |
That?s when he was selected to participate in the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) Student Refugee Program and came to Laurentian University to being studies to obtain his bachelor?s degree in science (BSc).
He became one of 50 refugees accepted over 50,000 applicants each year and one of about a dozen Laurentian student life manager Denis Lauzon has
helped bring to Sudbury over the last 25 years.
Lado just defended his graduate thesis, earning a Master?s degree in science. He hopes to start his PhD program at the University of Ottawa in January or May.
?It all started with his help,? Lado said of Lauzon. ?I wouldn?t have been able to any of this without him or the program.
?There aren?t many opportunities in a refugee camp.?
Lauzon was recently recognized with the 2004 WUSC Citizen of the World Award in Ottawa.
Bestowed upon one person annually, the ?prestigious? accolade recognizes a ?long-standing contribution to the WUSC Student Refugee Program and
exceptional assistance to a WUSC local committee.?
The program takes refugees who already have some form of post-secondary training (that could mean as little as a few credits) and speak English or French and places them in a Canadian university.
Laurentian becomes the student?s sponsor.
?We choose someone that will fit into our academic community,? Lauzon explained. ?The last one was a French-speaking refugee from Malawi in a camp in Burundi. It?s always a tough choice, but he had been in a camp the longest.?
When Lauzon took his position at Laurentian, the program was just a portfolio that came with the job.
Today, the WUSC board of directors usually has 8-10 members, and by virtue of its very involved nature, the program has carved itself a much bigger piece of Lauzon?s day planner.
His involvement includes everything from picking the student up at the airport to setting up bank accounts to explaining North American grocery stores and laundry machines.
Even simple recipes for cooking with materials other than flour, water and sugar (the only food provided in most camps) make all the difference.
?For the first three weeks, they?re at your doorstep every day,? he said. ?On top of the culture shock, there are questions about book purchases,
course selection, medical concerns and access to the Internet so they can e-mail family.?
Without that kind of practical, and social, help, Lado would have been lost.
?(Canadian culture) was completely alien to me,? he said. ?I come from a culture that is very open and friendly. Here, people sometimes put up
personal and cultural barriers.?
It was awkward, for example, when Lado bought a round of drinks for friends one night.
That?s normal practice for his culture, which shares all the time, he said, but the locals thought he was trying to pick up everyone at once.
?Sometimes I would just feel lonely so I would go see Mr. Lauzon and just chat about home or the program.?
Lado hopes to see his family again once finished his doctorate. But he?ll have to find them first.
?They?re scattered in southern Sudan and Kenya right now, so I don?t really know where they are.?
Lado and another student from Sudan have started the Southern Sudan Students Association at Laurentian, in hopes of collecting books and other learning materials to take home.
?It?s a hard life (back home). We?re doing all we can to mitigate the suffering there.?
Lauzon describes himself as a meek and humble person, noting he was intimidated by the media attention his award has attracted.
He gets all the reward he needs in watching the refugee students mature into members of Canadian society.
?They come here shy and introverted,? he said. ?But they progress, mature and become happier. They have big-time morals and a hard work ethic. It?
s extremely rewarding.?
