{"id":99209,"date":"2025-02-10T15:42:55","date_gmt":"2025-02-10T20:42:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=99209"},"modified":"2025-02-10T16:57:13","modified_gmt":"2025-02-10T21:57:13","slug":"horizon-scholar-dedicated-to-empowering-african-immigrant-mothers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2025\/02\/horizon-scholar-dedicated-to-empowering-african-immigrant-mothers\/","title":{"rendered":"Horizon Scholar dedicated to empowering African immigrant mothers"},"content":{"rendered":"

NOTE: This is one in a series of articles on Brock\u2019s 2024-25 Horizon Graduate Student Scholarship recipients. Read other stories in the series on\u00a0The Brock News<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Serenity Amegashie\u2019s journey to graduate school has been anything but conventional.<\/p>\n

As an Applied Health Sciences master\u2019s student, Amegashie is navigating the complexities of being an immigrant, a mother and a researcher. Her perseverance, and determination to help others, earned her a 2024-25 Horizon Graduate Student Scholarship<\/a>.<\/p>\n

She says the scholarship is a \u201chuge relief,\u201d allowing her to focus on her research without the added stress of financial strain.<\/p>\n

Amegashie\u2019s research focuses on supporting African immigrant mothers, particularly those experiencing first-time childbirth in a foreign health-care system.<\/p>\n

Born in Ghana, she grew up in a family where education was highly valued. She often felt the weight of these expectations while also aspiring to forge her own path.<\/p>\n

Amegashie initially dreamed of becoming a nutritionist, but financial constraints led to her working as a high school teacher and a mentor for girls at a boarding school instead.<\/p>\n

In 2022, her life took a turn when she relocated to Calgary, Alta., for her husband to continue his PhD. Amegashie was 32 weeks pregnant with their first child at the time.<\/p>\n

The pregnancy brought its own set of challenges, including the task of finding a health-care provider in a new country.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Ghana, midwives are the primary caregivers during childbirth, but in Canada, there are different options and variables to consider,\u201d she says. \u201cI had to choose between a midwife and a doctor, which was an overwhelming decision for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

This experience sparked her interest in the challenges faced by immigrant mothers and would later become the focus of her research when she decided to further her education.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw how many immigrants, like me, struggle to access the right care during pregnancy and childbirth,\u201d she says. \u201cThere\u2019s a gap in understanding how cultural values and experiences influence decisions when choosing health-care providers.\u201d<\/p>\n

She received an offer of admission from Brock in 2023, having secured funding and a supportive supervisor, but she discovered she was pregnant with her second child.<\/p>\n

Amegashie deferred her start date and eventually moved to St. Catharines with her family in 2024 to begin her studies.<\/p>\n

She says she hopes to create a platform that helps first-time immigrant mothers access resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy research is about educating and empowering African immigrant mothers, particularly those experiencing childbirth for the first time in a new country,\u201d she says. \u201cI want to help these mothers navigate the health-care system and make informed choices as there are so many underutilized resources available in Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, Amegashie is still deciding whether to pursue a PhD or transition into the workforce, but her commitment to supporting immigrant communities is unwavering.<\/p>\n

She credits her\u00a0husband and daughters for always encouraging her to pursue her dreams, even when the path is uncertain.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a balancing act, but my\u00a0family and God\u2019s grace keep me grounded. My family is my biggest source of strength,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s not always easy, but I want to show my daughters that you can achieve anything you set your mind to, even as a mother.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Serenity Amegashie\u2019s journey to graduate school has been anything but conventional.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":71,"featured_media":99211,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[36,188,55,1,5],"tags":[777,806,13216,7488,12849,1983,1817,9928,10037,7022,11637,14215,13933,11644,3325,14214,709],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99209"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/71"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99209"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99209\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99225,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99209\/revisions\/99225"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}