Ten years ago, Fredriz Cantilado took a life-changing trip to her birthplace in the Philippines.
“It was my first time back since I moved to Canada when I was five,” says the third-year U of T Scarborough student. “I saw the divide between the very rich and the very poor, and it really surprised me as someone who had a Canadian upbringing. From there, I became very interested in international development. I realized it was what I wanted to do.”
In high school, Cantilado became involved in Me to We and other social justice groups. At U of T Scarborough, she chose a double major in International Development Studies and Health Policy, and got involved with the campus’s Oxfam chapter, where she is now the volunteer director.
Deciding to apply to the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship was easy, she says, because of her belief in the value of international experience. “I think It’s so important to immerse yourself in a different culture, regardless of your discipline.”
Cantilado travelled to a small city just outside Accra, the capital city of Ghana, to work as a marketing and branding officer for the Artisans’ Association of Ghana. The association helps men, women and youth gain essential knowledge and training in artisanal fields (often informal construction sector work) so they can earn sustainable incomes. She was involved in producing a comprehensive marketing strategy to help build the capacities of her colleagues and the artisans themselves.
Outside the office, Cantilado made an effort to interact with the people and places in her temporary home. “I felt like I integrated myself quite well within the culture there,” she says. “I learned how to speak some of the local language, which allowed me to meet and connect better with people.”
Cantilado says her time in Ghana lived up to all her expectations of what an international experience should be. “The academic component of the QE Scholar program helped me understand the history and politics of Ghana, and theCco-op portion gave me the full immersion in the culture.”
The Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships (QES) is managed through a unique partnership of Universities Canada, the Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF), Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) and Canadian universities. This program is made possible with financial support from the Government of Canada, provincial governments and the private sector.