The 星空影视team recently spoke to an inspiring woman who shared her study abroad success story with us. Dorna is a recent international student graduate and marketing professional who came to Canada to achieve her educational dreams. Here’s how.聽
Note: To protect Dorna’s privacy, we’ve omitted her last name and other personal details throughout this article.
Dorna鈥檚 Study Abroad Success Story
鈥淲hen I was little, my uncle used to visit us from Australia, and he played a big role in inspiring me.鈥� 鈥� Dorna, International Student Graduate
Dorna recalls childhood memories of her uncle visiting her big family in Iran from Australia. As she grew up, she saw more of her cousins attending school in different countries. This further motivated her own dreams to study abroad.
Dorna graduated with her bachelor鈥檚 degree in Iran specializing in accounting as a sales manager. However, she still felt unfulfilled in her position. She experimented with working in different career paths and was hired by a company as an operations manager. Through this job, she was tasked with marketing projects.聽
It was at that point that she discovered her passion for marketing. But Dorna wanted to make an even bigger change鈥攕he wanted to make the jump and study marketing abroad.
Unsure what career path you鈥檇 like to follow after graduation? Our blog explores several popular careers, along with programs to help you get there.聽
Challenges of Studying Abroad聽
In 2020, Dorna started applying to institutions in Australia, Canada, and the United States. In the midst of applying, however, the pandemic struck, bringing Dorna鈥檚 dreams to a halt. Countries closed their borders to new student applicants. This left Dorna stuck where she was in her home country.
Despite the setback, Dorna remained patient throughout the pandemic. When Canada first opened its borders again, Dorna eventually decided that she would study abroad there, where her brother already resided.聽
Once again, she started applying to Canadian universities, where yet again, she encountered another frustrating barrier.
The complicated application process and high GPA requirements made the process difficult for her. In a second attempt to make her dreams come true, she spoke to immigration consultants. They then told her that she likely wouldn鈥檛 be accepted by an institution abroad. The only advice they offer her was to stay in her home country and complete her master’s, where she could possibly improve her chances of studying abroad.
Finding ApplyBoard
But Dorna still didn鈥檛 give up鈥攕he knew there had to be another way. She remembered hearing about the 星空影视Platform years ago and realized this could be a golden opportunity. She decided to use the platform and researched all the universities she could apply to. While using the platform, she grew to deeply appreciate ApplyBoard鈥檚 constant support for students. This instilled hope in her to continue her search to make her dream come true.
鈥溾�� With ApplyBoard, everything could be found on one page. Everything from an institution鈥檚 tuition fees, their requirements, to the date that a program started, was all on one platform.鈥� 鈥� Dorna, International Student Graduate
Did you know 星空影视students are 50% more likely to be approved for a Canadian study permit?
Unlike applying through other platforms, 星空影视didn鈥檛 require Dorna to pay a World Education Service (WES) fee for her bachelor鈥檚 degree. This helped her save C$250. To her delight, 星空影视recommended multiple institutions Dorna could potentially consider with her credentials.
Of the list of institutions, she applied to three colleges. To her surprise, Dorna found that all of her applications were accepted! She decided to choose Seneca College鈥檚 marketing management program.
Where Dorna Is Now
At Seneca College, Dorna learned even more skills and expanded her marketing knowledge, graduating in 2022. Her first job after graduation was an internship at as a digital marketing specialist. This further helped her grow and develop in her field.
Currently, Dorna is building her career in digital marketing, seizing every opportunity life offers her, and challenging herself to learn more. Dorna reflects on her journey and the struggles she overcame, and learned a very important lesson: to never give up. Her capacity to adjust to new situations and overcome difficulties helped her become successful.
Considering studying abroad? Here are five of the best reasons to do it, and five career benefits it can bring you!聽
鈥淓ducation helped me change my career path. If I didn’t study another course, I would not have had the opportunity to be in Canada and work in the marketing field. I would have had to continue working in accounting which I was not happy doing. Education helped me to change my career path to what I wanted.鈥� – Dorna, International Student Graduate
Dorna, like many other international students, was looking to fulfill her study abroad dreams. She worked hard to make her dream come true. Despite the setbacks she encountered along the way, she didn鈥檛 let them stop her. Dorna continued to have hope in her dreams and found new ways to make them come true.
