My name is Melissa Torrado and I moved to Canada from Colombia in 2006 as a refugee.

The transition to Canada was emotionally difficult as a teenager, having to leave my mother behind and not only moving to a new country but living with parents whom I had not seen in years. Adapting to Canadian culture and language in high school was difficult as I did not receive language support from my schools. Life throughout high school wasn’t easy, facing all issues newcomers face, financial uncertainties, family difficulties, and not the best romantic relationships, however, I managed to graduate within the ideal 4 years and was accepted to Carleton University in Ottawa, so at 18 I once again made the move now to Ottawa from the Greater Toronto Area.

This was a new adventure, a new environment and city all on my own, being the first person in my family to attend university in Canada, I faced many challenges due to the lack of information and having to have multiple jobs while attending university full time, participating in school clubs and volunteering in the Ottawa community. I graduated in 2015 with a bachelors in Psychology and then again in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Law.

My life took a turn in 2017 when I got married and we welcomed my daughter and then my son in 2019, with my husband’s support, I decided to be a stay-at-home mom.  Both my children are now in primary school and thriving. In 2021, I received an invitation for an interview with a company I had never heard of before, and ironically I also was not looking for a job at the time, but life works in mysterious ways. The market I was assigned in this job is Latin America, so you could say it was a full circle moment to keep me connected to my culture, and past academic studies by continuous engagement with Latin American governments and my mother tongue, Spanish.

Although I am quite busy with my full time job of being a mother of two and with their extracurricular activities, I make sure to take time to stay active and to give back to the community that has provided me with so many opportunities.  One of the ways I decided to give back,  was by joining IWSO’s Board of Directors in 2024 as Member-at-Large.

I strongly support IWSO’s mission and the services they provide to  women-at-risk in the Ottawa community.  IWSO is a hub of resources that benefit all of us.  Women are the strong base of a society, and empowerment and support of Immigrant Women is not only essential but necessary.