She never imagined she would become that student — the one who nearly gave up everything. When she arrived in Canada to study Computer Science at Toronto Metropolitan University, she carried the same dream millions of international students bring with them: study hard, graduate, land a tech job, support her family, and build a life in Canada. She worked two jobs, kept her grades high, and spent her nights researching AI startups she hoped to join one day. Her life had direction. Her plan was clear.

Then everything collapsed with a single phone call.
This is the story of Maya, who came to Canada as an international student from Kenya. Her father — her only financial support — had lost his job back home. Overnight, the tuition money stopped. The rent money stopped. Every safety net she depended on disappeared. When Maya opened her banking app and saw $96, her heart sank. Her 2025 rent was due in just two weeks. She sat on her dorm room floor and cried until her chest hurt. That night, she drafted an email to her professors: “I am withdrawing due to financial reasons.” She even searched for the cheapest one-way flight back to Nairobi.t on her dorm floor and sobbed until her chest hurt. That night, she drafted an email to her professors: “I am withdrawing due to financial reasons.” She even searched for the cheapest one-way flight back to Nairobi.

The next morning, she almost sent the email. Almost.

As she walked out of class silently that day, one professor stopped her:
“Go to the financial aid office today. Tell them everything. Do not quit on me.”

Maya didn’t want to go. She was certain she would hear the words every international student fears: “Sorry, there’s nothing we can do.” But she went anyway — shaking, embarrassed, and convinced this was pointless.

She was wrong.

Within three weeks, the financial aid office had rallied around her. She received a $3,500 emergency bursary, a $5,000 women-in-tech scholarship, an international student hardship grant, and a paid research assistant role created specifically to keep her enrolled. She didn’t have to withdraw. She didn’t have to go home. She stayed.

Maya graduated with honours. Today, she is an AI engineer at one of Toronto’s fastest-growing AI unicorns. Every semester she returns to her university, not as a struggling student, but as a mentor to the next Maya — the ones crying silently in dorm rooms, believing it’s over. She always ends her story with the same words:

“I almost lost everything because I assumed Canada wouldn’t help an international student. I was wrong. The system is built to catch you — if you let it.”

The Financial Lifelines That Saved Maya (Available Right Now – November 2025)

Many students — Canadian and international — have no idea that these supports even exist. Maya’s crisis wasn’t rare, but it was preventable. Canada has one of the strongest student support systems in the world, especially for students in crisis. Here’s what’s available today:

For Canadian Citizens & Permanent Residents (2025–2026)

• Canada Student Grant for Full-Time Students → Up to $4,200/year
• Canada Student Grant for Part-Time Students → Up to $2,520/year
• Grants for Students with Disabilities → $4,000/year + equipment
• Provincial programs (OSAP, StudentAid BC, Alberta Student Aid, Quebec AFE, etc.) → often add thousands more

For International Students — YES, You Are Eligible

• Emergency bursaries at major universities (UofT, UBC, McGill, TMU, York, Western, Alberta, Calgary, Dalhousie, etc.) → $1,000–$7,000+
• International Student Hardship Grants
• Women in STEM funding (Google, Shopify, RBC, Vanier, etc.) → $5,000–$20,000+
• Paid research/assistant roles (often created for students in crisis)
• Mitacs Globalink Research Awards
• Support from newcomer, diaspora, and community organizations
• Trudeau Foundation, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation scholarships
  

Maya received over $13,500 in one semester — simply because she walked into the office and asked.

How You Can Get Help (Maya’s Exact Steps)

1. Go to your Financial Aid Office and say:
   “I am in financial crisis and may have to withdraw.”
2. Apply for every bursary and emergency grant — even ones you think you won’t qualify for.
3. Write a short, honest statement (2–3 paragraphs).
4. Ask professors about paid research or TA roles.
5. Apply for external scholarships (Google, Shopify, RBC, UNESCO, Mitacs, women-in-tech, diaspora funds, etc.).

One conversation changed Maya’s life. It might change yours.

If You Are Struggling — You Are Not Alone

Maya almost boarded that one-way flight home.
Instead, she stayed.
She built her future.
And she is living proof that Canada wants you here.

Your dream is worth one email.
Your future is worth asking for help.
You belong in Canada more than you think.

If you’re in crisis, reach out:
Follow and DM @imfounder_hq on Instagram (anonymous if you want).
We’ll help you find the bursary, scholarship, or emergency fund that could keep you here.

Share this story with someone who needs hope tonight.

Editor-in-Chief, IMFounder.com
Toronto, Canada