The first Saudi Arabian student to graduate from the College of New Caledonia (CNC) will be there when a convocation, expected to draw a record number of graduates, is held this Saturday.
Ayman Aldhabaan, who achieved a grade point average of 4.09, earned a management diploma with honours - and plenty of fond memories from his four years at the college.
"Being at CNC is not about getting your degree, diploma or an education," Aldhabaan said. "It's about the experience, meeting friends, being positive, a better achiever and that's because of the right environment."
When Aldhabaan first stepped onto CNC's Prince George campus in May 2007, he hardly knew English and he was also challenged by the cultural differences - from the food and the unique Canadian sense of humour.
Plus there was the pressure of succeeding for Aldhabaan, who hails from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital city and home to 4.9 million people.
But he soon felt right at home.
"In that first week I was welcomed and met my English as a second language instructor. I felt the warmth and kindness at the college and I knew at that moment I will have my diploma," he said.
Aldhabaan also had accolades for CNC's international centre.
"It's provided job opportunities, social opportunities and we even have a soccer team," he said. "They don't have to do it, but they do."
By September, 2007 he was helping the centre recruit other students from his home country.
"I told students CNC was a small school, it was a great place to study and you could easily interact with Canadian culture," said Aldhabaan. "Because of the low numbers of Saudi students, they had opportunities to speak more English.
"I told them there is a good transportation system, rent is affordable, home stays were easier to arrange, they could easily make friends and people would say hello to you."
His sales pitch worked. By the end of December, 2007, seven students from Saudi Arabia enroled at CNC. By the end of May, 2008, 25 Saudi students called CNC home.
Currently there are 125 Saudi students in Prince George.
Aldhabaan's not going too far. In September, he'll start work on a commerce degree with a major in human resources and a minor in finance at the University of Northern British Columbia.
"Four years later, it's been an amazing experience. I've had wonderful instructors and the opportunity to work with international students is a bonus," Aldhabaan said. "There are no negative things at all about CNC. The only negative is that I won't be at CNC anymore."
