Former Niagara College construction engineering student Ingrid Vitalino was one of 10 students studying in Canada through the 2019 Canada & Brazil Scholarship Program.
“It is gratifying to have the opportunity to live in another country with a culture totally different from mine, expanding my horizons,” said Vitalino, adding that she feels victorious to be bestowed this honour as her hard work paid off. “I believe my experiences gained through this scholarship will help me throughout my career as it is making me more qualified in the construction field. International experiences count for a lot in the curriculum; since my dream is to travel the world to acquire more knowledge and apply construction techniques in my country, this scholarship was the first step, the first international trip of many that are yet to come.”
The Canada & Brazil Scholarship program offers students in Brazil from the Federal Network of Vocational Education, Science and Technology, who would like to improve their English or French, the chance to enroll in colleges and institutes across Canada. This opportunity was made possible thanks to Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) in collaboration with Conselho Nacional das Instituições da Rede Federal de Educação Profissional, Científica e Tecnológica (Conif) and aims to strengthen the relations between Brazilian and Canadian postsecondary education systems.
NC has a long history with Brazil, welcoming students and teachers originally from the country, collaborating with global partners located in Brazil, and in addition, the country is home for a number of NC staff and faculty.
Partnering with the Government of Brazil, Niagara College was involved in both a capacity-building project that supported women’s economic empowerment as a driver for sustainable economic development and a subsequent impact evaluation project funded by International Development Research Centre Canada. Both Canadian funded projects contributed to the development of a made-in Brazil national inclusivity and economic empowerment program which addressed gender and social inclusion for disadvantaged women, women’s access to education and the labour force, and violence against women in the country. More recently, NC partnered with another Canadian institution to conduct teacher training for approximately 100 Brazilian educators from kindergarten through grade 12.
NC’s strong ties with Brazil has also benefited students over the years. Paramedic student Kyle Fediuk was one of nine students in Canada to be awarded a $5,000 bursary through the 2018 Canada-Brazil Outbound Student Mobility program. The bursary, funded by CICan, enabled Fediuk to engage in an eight-week international cultural experience through NC’s Be World Ready program.
Since 2011, NC has also welcomed 19 students from Brazil through the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program – a scholarship program providing students from the Caribbean and Latin America with short term exchange opportunities for study or research in Canada.
Vitalino believes that it is important to take time to unwind during your studies and to find leisure time. She is pictured attending the Niagara College Student Administrative Council’s Lawn Party during NC’s 2019 Fall Orientation.
For Vitalino, who had to overcome challenges studying in a foreign country, the support of NC’s faculty and staff was invaluable while studying in NC’s Construction Engineering Technology program during the 2019 fall and winter terms.
International contract training manager, Cindy Andrews, and School of Technology professor, Dino Morabito, helped Vitalino secure a two-month co-op placement starting in May 2020, a requirement of her scholarship, despite COVID-19’s impact on local businesses and the economy. She also assisted Morabito with AutoCAD drawings during her quarantine period back home.
“That was what saved me,” she said. “Thanks to everyone who got involved and helped, I was able to stay here until the end of my scholarship period and complete my co-op. Plus, it helped me stay busy during quarantine…staying at home without being able to leave can be bad for mental health. There are no words to thank them.”
The scholarship also offered Vitalino the opportunity to study in NC’s English for Academic Preparation (EAP) program to enhance her English language skills, something she completed prior to her studies in the Construction Engineering Technology program.
“When I came to Canada, my English was intermediate; I understood half of what people said and couldn’t communicate my thoughts properly,” she explained. “I listened in English, translated into Portuguese, responded in Portuguese and translated again to English, so I could answer; that changed with EAP. I was able to proofread grammar and practice writing, reading, speaking and listening.”
Vitalino is pictured holding her NC English for Academic Preparation (EAP) program certificate of completion. She was valedictorian of her class.
She highlighted how EAP was essential for her career path. “I believe my English is understood today because of NC’s EAP program and now English has become my second language, which is credited to my wonderful teachers,” she said. “The EAP program helped me a lot with my postsecondary studies, with getting a job, and with being able to talk to people here. Also, speaking English in my country is a very strong point in the curriculum and is a highlight in a job interview.”
During her studies, Vitalino also took advantage of many health and wellness services provided by NC. “When I hurt my back, I was supported by the health clinic,” she said. “When I felt tooth pain, I was supported by a dentist. When I had laptop issues, I had the IT staff to fix it. When I had anxiety problems, I had a psychologist to talk to. When I needed resume and cover letter help, I had the career services to help me; no matter what I needed, there was someone to help me, and they always did an excellent job with it.”
These services, along with the kindness and support from faculty and staff, made for a positive and memorable NC experience for Vitalino.
“They want to see you do well and be successful in life,” she said. “NC becomes your family as they treat you with great care and attention and are understanding and supportive. And because NC accepts international students so well, I was able to make friends from all over the world. Today I have friends from 23 different countries.”
Vitalino completed the components of her scholarship with Niagara College and recently returned to Brazil. Upon returning home, she accepted a job offer working as an engineering assistant for a company called Siltz Engenharia and will be returning to school this fall for the final semester of her Building Construction program at Instituto Federal de Mato Grosso (IFMT) in Brazil.
Not only does she highly recommend studying at NC to those interested in pursuing their studies in Canada, she also intends to return to the College to study in another program in the future.
