Page 36 - July JSF report

UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK REPORT (2)
JOHNSON UNDERGRADUATE OPPORTUNITY BURSARY
2023-24 Recipient
Hussein K. Al Ali
Saint John, NB
St. Malachy's Memorial High School
Award Value: $10,000
Degree Year, Program and Campus
2nd year bachelor of health in biomedical sciences UNB Saint John
Hussein Al Ali: Staying on track at the Saint John Regional Y – YMCA of Greater Saint John
Summer 2022
Since he was young, Hussein Al Ali has loved coming to the YMCA of Greater Saint John; he feels it kept him from going astray in his teenage years. He started coming to the YMCA to swim and to go to the gym since it is located close to his home.
“As a young teen, it is a good place to be while growing up,” says Hussein. “It was really nice to come here as a young child to enjoy your time.”
Hussein arrived with his family as a Government Assisted Refugee from Syria in 2016, settling in the Crescent Valley Region of Saint John. Soon after coming here, Hussein resumed his education within Grade 6 at Hazen White-St. Francis School.
“I was probably one of the first people in Hazen White-St. Francis School to speak Arabic,” says Hussein.
The first year was challenging for Hussein as the instruction was entirely in English. When his parents attended the LINC program (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada) at YMCA Newcomer Connections, Hussein used to hang out at the YMCA to stay active. It took an entire year to get the hang of the language, but Hussein’s hard work paid off. In Grade 7, Hussein was recognized with the Turnaround Award, bringing home a lot of excitement and a sense of achievement.
“Once you cross the language barrier, things get easier, and everything just flows along,” says Hussein.
Page 34 July Report