Laurier graduate Nway San escapes conflict in Myanmar to find new future and opportunity in Canada

June 6, 2025

Nway San will celebrate more than earning a Bachelor of Arts in International Education Studies when she receives her diploma at Wilfrid Laurier University spring convocation this June. The moment will mark a powerful milestone in a journey defined by conflict, discrimination and a determination to rise above adversity.

Before arriving at Laurier in January 2022 as a scholar with International Students Overcoming War (ISOW), Nway San lived in Myanmar amid civil conflict and political instability. She grew up in a small town in Kayin State, near the border with Thailand, an area embroiled in internal conflict since Myanmar (formerly Burma) gained independence from Britain in 1948.

“The Kayin ethnic army and Burmese military army have been fighting since after the British left the country,” says Nway San. “We’ve been discriminated against by the government since independence. I feel very grateful to now have a safe place to study. I’m very grateful for the support, and for Laurier.”

Founded by Laurier students in 2014 and funded through an $8 fee from each student every semester, ISOW supports international students from conflict-affected regions to study in safety and security in Canada.

Barriers to education

Ethnic and religious minorities in Myanmar often face systemic barriers. For Nway San, that meant navigating discrimination from a young age.

“Growing up in Myanmar, especially as a minority ethnic person – I am Kayin ethnicity – was a whole different experience,” she says. “We were even forced to try out other names just to register in school. So the discrimination was there for me and minority people like myself.”

Myanmar’s education system is also deeply flawed, Nway San says. Emphasis is placed on rote memorization over critical thinking and students’ futures are determined by test scores. After finishing high school at 15, Nway San set her sights on becoming a teacher – but because her scores weren’t high enough on rote memorization exams, she was denied entry into a teacher training program.

“I didn’t get the scores that I needed for my dream of being a teacher because I was not good at memorization,” she says. “Then I ended up as a chemistry major, which I never chose. The people in the Ministry of Education decided your future, decided what program you were going into. It was their decision, so I had to take chemistry as a major based on my scores.”

Studying a subject she did not choose or have interest in, Nway San made the difficult decision to leave university in her third year of study. Instead, she pursued a one-year liberal arts and sciences program in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city.

“I learned English from professors from all over the world, including the UK and U.S.,” says Nway San. “I got a chance to learn about education studies, I learned global studies and then some science.”

But her plans to complete the one-year program were disrupted when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“I had to go back home because COVID shut everything down,” says Nway San.

Her sense of isolation deepened when, in February 2021, Myanmar’s military overthrew the country’s democratically elected government.

“Protests were going on in the streets and the situation got worse and worse,” says Nway San. “I stayed at home taking care of my nieces, doing household chores. I felt stuck in home for two years, like living a life without hope. It was like living in an open prison. You can see who the prison guards are, you can see the violence, but you can’t do anything.”

Pursuing education abroad

A new opportunity emerged when Nway San connected with Prospect Burma, a non-profit organization that supports youth from Myanmar to access international education. The organization referred her to ISOW. After an application and interview process, Nway San was accepted to study at Laurier in July 2021. After months of preparing documents and securing a visa, she arrived in Canada in January 2022.

“I was very happy, and my family was very happy for me,” says Nway San. “But I got to the airport in Myanmar and felt sad to leave them behind, and especially sad when I got to Canada. Knowing that my family, my community, my loved ones and friends, they are struggling for their survival, struggling in danger, gives me mixed feelings of guilt, sadness and hope.”

While the adjustment to Canadian university life wasn’t easy – particularly during lingering COVID restrictions and landing in the middle of a Canadian winter – Nway San found Laurier a welcoming and supportive environment.

“I never talked to a single professor in my university back home because they are very intimidating,” says Nway San. “It was very different when I got here – the professors were very approachable and my classmates were also very welcoming. They knew that I was from Myanmar and they knew my country’s situation.”

ISOW provided not just support for Nway San’s studies, but a sense of belonging. She quickly became involved with the organization, eventually serving as ISOW’s secretariat during the 2024-25 academic year. She also volunteered to welcome new students during Laurier Orientation.

“I would say that ISOW is not just a scholarship, it’s a lifeline,” says Nway San. “What ISOW is doing is giving safety and security to students like myself through education.”

In April 2025, Nway San travelled with fellow ISOW members to Tokyo, Japan to attend a student conference at International Christian University, an experience she describes as “eye-opening.”

“We shared what ISOW does as a humanitarian initiative and encouraged students from Japan and South Korea to start similar programs,” she says. “It showed me that education can be a bridge between cultures and how we can inspire each other to make change, even in small ways.”

As a way of giving back, Nway San has been working online tutoring Myanmar high school students in English.

“I left with the hope that one day I can go back to Myanmar and give back and get involved with rebuilding the country,” she says. “If I could, I would go back home and become involved in education curriculum.”

Looking ahead

As she prepares to graduate from Laurier, Nway San’s goals remain grounded in the dream she has held since high school.

“I feel very proud to graduate and I still can’t believe that I made it,” she says. “After graduation I am going to start my career in teaching as I’ve been dreaming about. Right now, I’m still looking for jobs, but my goal is to work in education. I want to support English language learners, especially refugees and newcomers.”

And for others who may be in situations similar to the one she faced, Nway San offers a message of encouragement.

“I want to say to whoever is in a situation like mine – especially people from Myanmar or people in conflict-affected areas like I was before – education is not just about learning facts. It is about giving hope. One day, the miracle can happen and will take you where you want to be.”

Learn more about International Students Overcoming War (ISOW).