What She Would Have Done Differently
Time 0:00:45
But I think most importantly I would try harder to be supportive, um, for my parents and to kind of be around them and, like, really listen to them. Because I felt like I initiated this, like, strange separation of experiences that we had. Because they had a similar experience, going through the process, whereas I felt like I integrated really fast. And then I had—I was completely detached from what they were going through. I think maybe if I had, like, a different perspective—like, if I knew what I know now—I would have spent more time maybe at home, like, talking to them and, you know, understanding their experience.
Biography:
Julia Cristina Hanganu was born in 1989 in Timisoara, Romania. Julia immigrated to Canada with her parents in 2003 when she was 14 years old. Julia’s parents made the decision to leave Romania so she could have a better education and so that they could have better job opportunities. In Romania, Julia’s mother worked as a chemical engineer and her father worked as a police officer. Although these were good jobs, Romania’s economy was poor and there were many wage freezes.
The Hanganus settled in Toronto, Ontario where Julia began high school. She had attended an English immersion school in Romania and was already fairly fluent in English. Julia worked as a cashier at Home Hardware while in high school and was a member of the Don Mills United Nations Association and her school’s Enviro Club.
Following high school, Julia earned a degree in international relations with a minor in French translation from the University of Toronto. At the time of the interview, she was completing her master’s degree in public and international affairs at Glendon College at York University.