“Be prepared to put in your all!” Studying human rights and refugee law in South Africa.
“Global citizenship is about respecting and accepting differences while embracing shared humanity across all groups. This means embracing diversity and encouraging tolerance.” These inspiring words are from Premier’s International Scholarship awardee Anya Sass. A world traveler with a brilliant mind, an aptitude for adaptability, and an empathetic nature, the Alberta born powerhouse didn’t take long to find her calling in human rights. Currently, a Poli-Sci and Gender Studies double major at Simon Fraser University (SFU), Anya is studying, and soon to be practicing, human rights and refugee law. Finding her passion helped her to find her drive and being awarded the Premier’s International Scholarship has helped her get closer to achieving her goals, taking her places she had only dreamed of.
Originally from Calgary, Anya admits that her parents had a lot to do with broadening her perspectives and setting her on her path. Exposure to global cultures through extensive travelling with her family helped to open her eyes to the realities of a greater picture. “Calgary can be a somewhat insular place and can be quite conservative. Having opportunities to travel so much helped me see the world beyond boundaries or nationalities,” says Sass. As a budding global citizen, Anya spent much of her teenage years burning to travel more and sink her teeth into deeper, more meaningful experiences outside the confines of her high school and home life. So, once she graduated, rather than immediately apply to post-secondary and plow through a generic degree, Anya took her time to open her world up and explore the planet — and herself.
During those years abroad, Anya lived in Syria with her partner, just as the civil war broke out, changing her life forever. “During this time, after watching so many of my friends and loved ones leave the country as refugees, I became very passionate about refugee rights and immigration issues,” she remembers. “From there, I decided to pursue a career in law, with a special interest in pursuing refugee law.”
Armed with a new purpose, Anya returned to Vancouver, BC to begin her journey to becoming a lawyer. “I was really drawn to Simon Fraser University because of their history in political activism. The joint Political Science and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies program really appealed to me and offered everything I wanted out of my academic experience. It encompassed a broad spectrum of politics and human rights with an intersectional approach to both.” But that was easier said than done. SFU required upgrades for acceptance, so she enrolled in Langara College and got to work. With determination and focus, after one year, she was accepted into SFU — this time with an entrance scholarship.
In addition to her studies, Anya got to work doing what she loved, helping newly arrived immigrants and refugees with English class activities provided by the Immigrant Services Society of BC. She also worked with the Muslim Food Bank to customize lesson plans that incorporated both English language activities and useful information for immigrants and refugees just arriving in Canada and worked with a group of 5 individuals in the Vancouver and Surrey areas to privately sponsor a refugee family to immigrate in Canada. Stimulated and doing her life’s work, still, Anya was ready to expand her horizons and pivot to study abroad.
Currently in her fourth year in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Anya with plans to graduate in June 2021. But, with help from a Premier’s International Scholarship, she’s not in Canada anymore. Anya is now studying at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in South Africa. “Receiving the Premier’s Scholarship for my semester abroad in Cape Town was an important achievement for me. It gave me the opportunity to move to a city and country I have always wanted to know better,” Anya shares. “It was an extremely enriching academic opportunity to be able to study politics in a country that has a very interesting, complicated, and dark political history. My experience in South Africa also gave me extremely valuable insights into African feminism as they compare to those in western societies.”
Since completing her semester at UCT she has secured two internships in refugee settlement and support organizations in Cape Town working in communications and high-level advocacy. “I do not believe I could have come across these same opportunities in Canada, and these internships have given me an opportunity to gain more practical experience as well as a more well-rounded knowledge of the field I wish to be in,” she says.
Anya is a perfect example of drive incited by passion. Not everyone knows what they want to be from birth. Sometimes high school is simply a cultural experience and a right-of-passage before the real work begins. For some like Anya, direction comes from the experiences brought on by the courage to jump into unfamiliar surroundings and brave the challenges that come with exiting your comfort zone. Her advice for anyone thinking about getting into the realm of human rights and refugee law? Be ready and stay strong. “It can be very challenging on a personal level — especially dealing directly with clients who have very difficult stories and situations,” Anya cautions. “That being said, it is also extremely rewarding. Be prepared to put in your all!”
We are so proud to be a part of Anya’s story and to have helped her to continue pursuing her passions in human rights. The world needs more global citizens like Anya that devote their lives to making the world a better place. We wish her all the luck in her future endeavours as she forges forward.