Leila Nazari
“I left Kabul with nothing but my degree and my daughter. Canada gave me a lab coat. But I carry Afghanistan in every experiment I run.”
Meet Leila. She's Hazara, and she left Afghanistan in 2018 when the Taliban began targeting her community — arriving in Toronto with a 6-year-old and not much English. Two years later she'd finished a bridging programme for internationally trained pharmacists, and today she fills prescriptions at a community pharmacy in Scarborough, one of the most diverse corners of the world. She still fasts through Ramadan across 10-hour shifts. Her daughter, Zahra, is on the school debate team and means to be prime minister one day — and when Leila repeats it she smiles, because in Canada her daughter can dream that big.
- Profession
- Community pharmacist
- Journey
- Kabul to Toronto, 2018
- Languages
- Dari, English (fluent)
- Daughter's dream
- Prime Minister of Canada
“Refugees are a burden on their host countries and contribute little.”
Studies consistently show that refugees contribute significantly to their host economies. In Canada, refugees' employment rates and earnings rise steadily the longer they are in the country, according to Statistics Canada. Refugees are disproportionately likely to become entrepreneurs. Many bring specialized skills, education, and professional training. A 2017 US study found that refugees who arrived as children go on to match native-born rates of high-school and college completion — closing the gap despite starting far behind.
SourceStatistics Canada, Longitudinal Immigration Database; Evans & Fitzgerald, U.S. NBER Working Paper 23498 (2017).
When you hear 'refugee,' do you picture someone who needs help rather than someone who can give it?
That's a common view, shaped by media that focuses on need. But Leila's story shows us that refugees bring skills, resilience, and determination. They don't just receive — they build.
Good. Now ask yourself: what other groups do you see as 'needy' rather than 'capable'? What strengths are you not seeing?
Leila rebuilt her entire professional life from scratch in a new country. What is something you take for granted — your career, your community, your sense of safety — and what would you fight to rebuild if you lost it?
You do not need to answer. Notice what feels familiar, what remains unfamiliar, and where your own experience differs.
Understanding does not require agreement. Sometimes paying closer attention is enough for today.
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“No one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land.”
Warsan Shire