Building Confidence, Building Futures: Stories of Empowerment
Empowerment takes many forms; sometimes it’s building confidence, other times it’s finding the right connections to grow. At Ignite, empowerment means creating safe spaces where immigrant women can thrive both personally and professionally.
Over the past four years, the award-winning Economic Empowerment Program (EEP) has supported immigrant women in the Capital Region by helping them build networks, develop professional skills, and discover new ways to succeed. We sat down with three graduates – Nazareth Araújo, Shivani Munshi Das, and Ezinne Adelaja – whose journeys reflect empowerment through confidence, belonging, and resilience.
EMPOWERMENT THROUGH CONFIDENCE
For Nazareth, a newcomer from Brazil, empowerment meant building self-confidence to expand her network. Working for Porter O’Brien Agency in public relations, she understands the importance of establishing a professional network in her line of work. However, before joining the program, she struggled to find ways to make connections.
From building relationships with her peers to meeting local leaders like Senator Krista Ross and Fredericton Mayor Kate Rogers, Nazareth found the confidence and supportive community she needed to start building lasting and impactful relationships. “Something that I learned with the program was the importance of not only building a network but building a meaningful network”, Nazareth shared. She also described how the EEP guided her on how to proactively use social media platforms like LinkedIn to reach out to professionals in her field and beyond.
After completing the program, she realized how far she had grown in overcoming her challenges. Taking advantage of the safe environment that the EEP had provided, Nazareth was inspired to find empowerment through networking, whether in person or through social media. She mentioned, “[connecting via LinkedIn] is an example of how my mentality changed and how I apply [my new skills] a little bit post program”. Her journey reflects on the opportunities that lie outside of your comfort zone, and with the confidence and connections she built throughout and after the program, she’s continuing to grow both personally and professionally.
EMPOWERMENT THROUGH BELONGING
While confidence can be a key player in reshaping your path and connections, for Shivani Munshi Das, empowerment came through understanding the nuances of the Canadian workplace culture.
After arriving in Fredericton with her family, Shivani set out to find new opportunities. She was surprised, however, when faced with big culture shocks that made her rethink how to approach her work style and career. She decided to shift career paths: from having experience in IT to completing her studies at NBCC as a business analyst. Despite gaining work experience in Canada through internships, she still wanted to better understand the Canadian job market, gain confidence, and develop new skills to take her career to the next level.
From feeling like an outsider in her new home to learning how to build opportunities for herself, Shivani used her time in the program to redefine herself and embrace the possibilities available to women like her. She gained the soft skills necessary to successfully land her first full-time job in Canada. “[The EEP] experience was practical... It was making me ready for opportunities, giving me usable tools”, Shivani explained. Lessons on tailoring your resume for Canadian employers and navigating the job market gave her the skills to start a new chapter in her career.
Reflecting on her experience, Shivani reveals that one of the most impactful parts of the program was getting to learn from the other immigrant women. "Earlier, I used to feel that [these challenges] are only happening [to] me. I’m kind of all alone... After joining this program, I was like, I’m not alone, there are so many people like me." Through shared stories, feedback, and encouragement, Shivani discovered a sense of belonging. Her dedication to practicing her new skills "religiously” and finding her place in a new community paid off. Today, she gives back by helping others in her network connect with the right resources and tools, supporting those who find themselves in situations similar to what she once faced.
EMPOWERMENT THROUGH RESILIENCE
The journey into empowerment often leads us to discover new ways of defining who we are. For Ezinne, it revealed a deeper call for inner strength and resilience.
Ezinne Adelaja is a newcomer woman from Nigeria who moved to the Capital Region to study while also supporting her eldest daughter as she began her post-secondary education. During her own studies, Ezinne faced a critical health condition that reshaped her life. Despite these challenges, she pushed forward and graduated from NBCC with an Administrative Professional in Health Services diploma. “I was just thinking about my recovery and my family, and our stay here. I was not distracted. I focused because I had a goal.” Ezinne shared.
When she first heard of the EEP, it immediately sparked her interest. Among her motivations to join Ignite’s program was the desire to rebuild her confidence and learn from the growth journeys of other women.
Throughout the program, Ezinne felt as if all the sessions were feeding her hunger for knowledge, as if the content had been designed just for her. She acquired new skills and inspiration from both her facilitators and peers, helping her understand how to set achievable goals in her everyday life. She explained, “every day I have a plan of how I want my day to be... I keep striving and make sure I get to where I want to go... I do not see mistakes that tear me down. I see it as an opportunity to get better.” Beyond her challenges, Ezinne has demonstrated that resilience and renewed confidence can go a long way to achieving anything, including graduating from the EEP and securing a role as an administrator for Horizon Health Network.
These three journeys are proof of the impact that empowerment has had in our region. Ignite remains committed to offering safe spaces, skills development and networking opportunities for newcomer women to thrive. Want to join a community of women finding empowerment together? Visit our EEP page to keep an eye out for when applications open to join the 2026 spring cohort.