Getting to Know: Maï

by Meighen R.

Maïmouna, or “Maï” for short, was born in Senegal, where she lived for 10 years before moving with her family to the South shore of Quebec City. In Senegal, Maï was a ‘queen bee’ at school and in her community; However, when she moved to Canada, where she had no friends or extended family, she was faced with cultural isolation, racism, and Canada’s cold climate. After a few difficult years, however, she began to flourish in Canada. “Quebec City made me stronger,” she says of her experience. In addition to making regular trips home to Senegal, the avid traveler has also visited many cities across Canada, the United States, and Europe. The Explore Program is her first extended stay outside of Quebec City, where she is currently pursuing a major in actuarial sciences and working in the Baton Rouge restaurant.

Maïmuna’s interests include running, shopping, and supporting her favorite basketball team, the New Orleans Hornets. In five years time, she hopes to have completed a master’s degree in finance at an Anglophone university, perhaps at UBC or Concordia, and to be living in a new city, possibly Atlanta or in Ontario. Towards this end, her current goal is to improve her English to the point where she feels equally comfortable conversing in English and French.