I was born and raised in the Philippines and moved to Canada when I was eight. I grew up as an only child to a single mom who worked multiple jobs to make ends meet in Toronto, so my childhood self really would never have dreamed of all the things that I’ve accomplished to date.
I’ve had the opportunity to launch and implement marketing, communications, recruitment, and student success initiatives in different roles at York University. I’ve had the opportunity and the privilege to also work alongside staff and faculty members who are just as committed about really putting students first diverse students, including new Canadians, members of equity deserving groups and international students.
It’s through this work that I was inspired to pursue my PhD in Education. My research specifically focuses on the professional development journey of international students studying in Canada. Firsthand I know as an immigrant that the job search, job application, job interview process can be very culturally specific. Sometimes that process feels foreign or in tension with someone’s own identity.
I hope to create positive change really by championing equitable, ethical, and just approaches to the internationalization of education and hopefully in some small way that I can also inspire other Filipinos, other Asians, other members of underrepresented groups to follow their own passions, to follow their interests and their ambitions, whatever they might be.
Ian Barcarse is first-generation Filipino-Canadian pursuing a PhD in Education: Language, Culture & Teaching at York University. Ian’s research focuses on the career preparation and professional development of international students studying in Canadian postsecondary institutions. Ian is also a full-time staff member at York University, serving in leadership roles that advance strategic communication, student marketing and recruitment, strategic enrolment management, and student success initiatives. As a higher education scholar-practitioner, Ian aims to create positive change by championing the equitable, ethical, and just approaches to the internationalization of education in Canada.