Lucy’s Journey into Public Relations as an Immigrant Student
By Lucy Luc
Immigration means different things to different people. For some, it represents opportunity. For others, it is a necessity, a family story, or a search for stability. But at its core, immigration is deeply tied to today’s interconnected world. It shapes cultural diversity, supports economic growth, influences demographic change, and expands the global talent pool. It also strengthens societies by bringing in new perspectives, encouraging inclusion, and contributing to conversations about human rights, identity, and belonging.
Understanding immigration is important because it is not only a policy issue, but a human experience. It reminds us that societies grow stronger when they embrace diversity and recognize the contributions of those who choose to build a life in a new place. A future built with immigrants is a future shaped by shared humanity, where people from different backgrounds can contribute, thrive, and create something larger than themselves.
Yet, as an immigrant myself, this idea of “opportunity” often feels like a small piece in a much larger puzzle. It is connected to a bigger ambition: to grow the communities we come from by bringing back the knowledge, skills, and perspectives we gain abroad. That ambition is not simple or linear. It is built through uncertainty, adaptation, and constant self-reflection.
The moment many immigrants step onto that plane, something shifts. There is no real turning back. We leave behind familiarity, comfort, and the version of life we once understood. In its place, we step into a new path that we are often building for ourselves from scratch. A path that may not even feel visible at first.
Along this journey, there are challenges that go beyond language. Yes, English proficiency matters, but so does everything surrounding it: understanding cultural references, adapting to communication styles, and learning unwritten social rules that were never taught in a classroom. Many immigrants, especially students and young professionals entering fields like public relations, advertising, and marketing, quickly realize that success is not only about academic knowledge. It is about learning how communication actually works in a new cultural environment.
Research on entry-level immigrant workers in Canada highlights this reality clearly. Communication in the workplace is shaped not just by grammar or vocabulary, but by real-time interaction, confidence, cultural understanding, and familiarity with workplace context. Many newcomers rely heavily on everyday conversational English while navigating fast-paced environments. Challenges often appear when conversations move quickly, when unfamiliar accents are involved, or when cultural references are assumed but not explained.
At the same time, immigrants are constantly adapting. They develop strategies such as asking for repetition, using context clues, simplifying language, or observing how others communicate. Just as importantly, communication improves when colleagues and customers meet halfway by slowing down, simplifying speech, and showing patience. In this way, workplaces become spaces of mutual learning, not one-sided adjustment.
Still, the emotional side of this experience is often overlooked.
After rejection, the questions rarely stay professional. They become personal.
Am I not good enough?
Is it because my English is not strong enough?
Do employers prefer someone local who understands things faster?
These thoughts are common, and they can quietly shape how immigrants see themselves in professional spaces. But over time, I have learned that these moments do not define ability. They reflect a transition period—one where confidence is still forming, not missing.
In fact, immigrant perspectives are not a disadvantage in public relations and communication fields. They are a strength. PR depends on understanding people, and understanding people requires lived experience across cultures, identities, and ways of thinking. Immigrants often carry exactly that: the ability to see the world from more than one lens. We understand adaptation not as theory, but as daily practice.
There is also something powerful about the way immigrants understand belonging. Belonging is not automatic; it is built. It is learned through observation, effort, and resilience. That process shapes how we tell stories, how we listen, and how we connect with audiences in a deeply human way.
My own path in public relations has reflected this complexity. Even with academic recognition—such as being named PR student of the year and receiving awards for communication planning—entering the industry is a different journey altogether. It requires strategy, persistence, and relationships. It also requires finding a space in PR that aligns not only with career goals, but with personal purpose.
For me, that purpose is clear. I want to work in a field where storytelling creates connection. Where communication is not just about messaging, but about meaning. And where the stories we tell can travel across borders, just as I have.
One day, whether I return to my home country, stay in Canada, or continue building my career in a new place, I know the work I do will carry that perspective with it. That is the strength of PR in an immigrant journey. It allows us to turn lived experience into stories that matter, and to contribute to industries, communities, and cultures in ways that are both professional and deeply personal.
Immigration is not a single story. It is a continuous process of becoming. And within that process, there is space not only for struggle, but for growth, contribution, and the creation of something meaningful that reaches far beyond where we started.
Lucy Luc is the current president of the Student Steering Committee and a CPRS Toronto ACE Award–winning student in her final year of Humber Polytechnic’s Bachelor of Public Relations program, where she is completing her thesis.
