The Story of Samira Hamana

THE STORY OFSamira Hamana

We are delighted to have Samira Hamana on the cover of our Summer Edition. She has been a friend of Ladies Corner since 2019. We hope you will find Samira’s story inspiring and empowering.

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Samira Hamana, I am a mother of three children (13, 9, 6). In my life I wear many hats. I am an author, certified life and business coach, HR professional, educator, and designer. I am a business case award-winning, nominated Muslimah of the year in 2019, and an Amazon influencer. I am continually active as well in my community and I am serving on several not-for-profit boards.

In 2009, I moved to Edmonton From Morocco. When I came to Canada, I had many plans and goals, one of them was to achieve my academic goals; however, language was a barrier. I had to start from scratch and all my academic achievement was thrown in the bins, because it was done in Arabic and French. I had to take upgrading classes and fortunately I got good grades that allowed me to attend college and earn a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Human Resources Management. I was so frightened that I would not be able to pass the courses due to my language constraints. However, with a lot of great work and dedication and encouragement from my family, I ended up being in the Dean’s List six times and I received multiple awards and scholarships.

Why do you choose to be an author of children’s books?

I have always enjoyed writing in Arabic. I write stories, poems, and articles. One day, I decided to write a poem in English, I posted it on Facebook and my friends and family loved it. Since then, I wanted to be a write in English. One day, I read a news article about a little girl who committed suicide in Calgary because of bullying and my heart sank. As a mother of a bullied child and certified life coach I had to do something. Then I found out the best way to reach and teach children is through storytelling, therefore I published my first children story book called “Challenging the Bully” which tackle bullying issues, and which can be found in Edmonton Libraries.

Did you publish other stories?

Yes, recently, I published two storybooks “Mom Loves Me More” and “The King of Gold”. Mom loves me more deals with the constant fight that children have when it comes to their mother’s love. Whereas, The King of Gold, helps children understand diversity, skills, resources, and knowledge are more important than gold. In both stories, I try to use diversified characters so children can see themselves in these characters. I urge all authors to employ diversified characters in their stories, and I wish that parents and schools would purchase children’s books with diversified characters to increase acceptance.

What is your advice to newcomer women?

I know newcomer women face multiple obstacles to succeed in Canada. My advice to them is to never give up your dreams and goals. No matter how big the obstacles may seem, with perseverance, dedication and support we can overcome them. Never let these obstacles hinder you from achieving your goals or dreams. Plan well, hire a life coach, it will make your life easier as her/she will provide you with tools that will help you to attain your goals. Build a supportive community around you that will encourage you whenever you feel defied or exhausted. Reach out to successful women in your field and request their advice. We women are strong, and nothing can stop us from achieving our goals.

Email: hamana@ualberta.ca