HUSSEIN SAMHAT

Hussein Samhat found a supportive family at Pathways to Education.

Born in Windsor, Ont. while his parents were temporarily living in southern Ontario, Samhat came to Ottawa on his own as a 16-year-old since he was the only one in his family with a Canadian passport. He wanted to work in construction and send some money back to his family in Kuwait.

Instead, as a legal minor, he was sent to school. He spoke only a few words of English and, after a few months of living with relatives, he went to stay at a youth shelter.

Samhat, eager to avoid the shelter, came to the Pathways’ tutoring program four days a week.

“They were very patient: they listened to me. They were like my mother, father, sisters,” he says.

Pathways staff helped Samhat decipher his English homework and find a part-time job at a restaurant. “My life was school, Pathways, work,” he says.

In his second semester at school, Samhat began to earn good marks for the first time in his life. “Before, I felt I was forced to study, but now I wanted to,” he says.

Pathways helped Samhat find an apartment, improve his resumé, secure a better job in retail, and line up university scholarships. Now 20, Samhat is completing the first year of a kinesiology degree at the University of Ottawa. He is qualified as a personal trainer and operates his own business, HSL Personal Training. He wants to study physiotherapy and intends to make a career as a strength and conditioning coach.