Школярі з України закінчують школу та вступають до університетів Манітоби.
Valentyn Slobodian, 18, became a student at Winnipeg's West Kildonan Collegiate last year after fleeing the war in Ukraine.
His school in Ukraine was shut down due to bombings, and he worked 15- to 16-hour shifts at his family's grocery store because many Ukrainians were panic-buying items.
He moved to Canada with his mother in 2023, after their business was destroyed during the war. They received financial and temporary housing support from the Canadian government as soon as they arrived, he said, but they are now working hard to support themselves.
Last year, Slobodian says his emotional health suffered during his first months in Canada. He was working as a landscaper at the Red River Ex while his classmates in Ukraine were at prom.
"When my classmates [were] celebrating their last day in school, I was cleaning gardens in Canada," he said. "That was pretty sad."
But things have improved since then, and Slobodian says his ambition keeps him going. He's graduating high school this week and has been accepted to the University of Manitoba.
He hopes to study business.
"If I want to become someone, I should work for it," he said.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/newcomer-refugee-students-winnipeg-graduation-1.7243826
