Nazli met her now-husband, Mehmet, in 2010 while he was vacationing in their shared home country, Türkiye. Nazli moved to Canada in 2011 to be with him, settling first in Toronto. This transition meant adjusting to a new culture, being away from her family, and learning a new language, her biggest struggle.

In 2017, now with two daughters, the family relocated to Saskatoon in order to have a quieter, smaller city life. The family was very excited for this new chapter in their life, though adjusting to the prairie winters proved to be difficult. Upon their arrival, they also had difficulty finding ways to get to know their new home and identify places that would help the children socialize and stay engaged in their new community. “Then, thanks to other programs I participated in, I heard about GGP, and, thinking it would be good for us, I registered for myself and my family,” Nazli says. “GGP has amazing programs, and my favourite programs were the Family, Fun, & Fit with my husband and our kids, and also, the Citizenship Prep program really helped me out, which I can say was my favourite. I [was] provided the handbook for the citizenship program from GGP and [it] helped me to get my certificate to become a Canadian citizen, for which I am very grateful.” In April of 2025, Nazli joined the rest of her family as a Canadian Citizen.

Nazli says that her family is flourishing in Saskatoon. Today, Nazli works as an early childhood educator and her husband works as a barber. But the most important part of Nazli’s life, is the time she gets to spend with her husband and kids. She is so grateful that settling in Saskatoon has allowed her a calm and balanced life where she is able to both work and have time dedicated only to her family. This past summer, they returned to Türkiye together for three months, giving their daughters the chance to experience their heritage firsthand and connect with their culture.

Nazli’s goals for the future are to enjoy life in the moment with her family. She wants to be successful in all that she does and prepare a good life for her and her family. As she puts it, “We all have dreams and goals but taking it day by day is teaching me how to also enjoy the moment and be grateful for all the blessings in my life.”

Nazli advises fellow newcomers to be patient and to have a plan for the life they want that they can continually work towards. She also advises people to not rush past the good moments. “I am very grateful for everything and all the support you have given me and my family. It would not have been easy without your support and help. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart, also good luck to all newcomers to Canada as well.”