A Prince George student has won a prestigious national award.
Leila Abubakar is the recipient of the Elizabeth Paterson for International Student Leadership from the Canadian Bureau for International Education. The award is presented annually to an international student or group to recognize those who contribute to the internationalization of education.
Leila moved to Prince George from Nairobi Kenya in January 2010. She says she’s thrilled someone from a small town can get recognized on the nation-wide stage;
“It’s awesome. The fact that it’s an international award makes it even better. It’s validation of hard work and shows that even in small communities and colleges we can impact enough change to get recognition nationwide.”
She came to Prince George in 2010 because of the publicity Vancouver and the west coast gained internationally in the run up to the 2010 Olympics.
Leila served as chairperson of the CNC student union before graduating with a diploma in 2012. She is now graduating from UNBC with a degree in Marketing and Environmental Studies with a Bachelor of Commerce.
Leila has a bit of advice for new international students;
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“Appreciate and realize you are getting a great opportunity to study abroad. Take all these opportunities to integrate with the community. I hope people come out and give back and be a part of the community and actively participate.”
