Hello, my name is Damilola Olarewaju. I moved from Nigeria to Canada with my family in hopes of having a better life and achieving my dream of becoming a nurse in Canada. My inspiration to become a nurse came from when I was in high school in Nigeria, I volunteered as a nursing assistant in my school’s clinic. During this time, I monitored patients’ vital signs, assisted patients with activities of daily living and helped dispensed medication under the supervision of the clinic nurse. After completing the remaining of my high school years in Canada, I enrolled in Durham College Practical Nursing program, where I became a Registered Practical Nurse. I chose to start with a community college because I wanted to avoid committing to a four-year university program without being certain of my career path. However, working as a RPN over the past year has only deepened my passion for nursing and strengthened my desire to do more in this field. Seeing the diversity of specialities within the profession motivated me to pursue my Registered Nurse degree at Trent University. My long-term goal is to obtain an advanced degree in wound care management.

Starting this journey has filled me with a lot of excitement, hope and nervousness. I hope that at the end of the program, I can grow to become a more confident and skilled nurse, who makes a valuable contribution to my colleagues and acts as a strong advocate for my patients.

As I go through the successes and challenges of this program, I hope to stay committed to the passion that brought me here. This e-book will capture the unfolding of my journey and I hope that some will be inspired by this to pursue their own aspirations in life, whether it be in healthcare or something else. Thank you for allowing me to bring you on this journey of mine.