From Engineer to Entrepreneur: How a Student Refugee Program Alum is Contributing to His Community in Canada

When Salim Hourieh arrived in Canada in 2019 through the Student Refugee Program, everything felt new. He had left behind familiarity for a new country, a new culture, and a new academic journey at the University of Toronto. The transition was exciting, but also overwhelming. 

“It was a mix of excitement and uncertainty. I knew this was an incredible opportunity, but I also knew I had to rebuild everything from scratch,” he says. 

Salim moved to Canada to study engineering at the University of Toronto through the Student Refugee Program, which provides refugees with the opportunity to resettle and pursue their postsecondary studies at a Canadian institution.

Adapting to his new life came with challenges. For example, there was the challenge of adapting socially, understanding new systems, and figuring out how things worked, including the job market. Like many students in the Student Refugee Program, Salim wasn’t just navigating university, he was learning how to build a life in a country where everything operated differently. 

Beyond academics, Salim was deeply involved in extracurricular activities. As VP of WUSC’s Local Committee at UofT, he advocated for refugee students and helped new students as they settled into their new life on campus and in Canada. The more he engaged with the community, the more he saw a deeper issue. Many newcomers struggled to find work that treated them fairly simply because they did not yet understand how the system worked. “I realized that having access to work isn’t the same as having access to good work,” he says. 

This experience shaped the way he thought about systems and the structures that determine who gets access to opportunities. 

Upon graduating, Salim began his career in consulting, in which he advised companies around the world. He saw firsthand how major business decisions were made, how companies were designed to maximize profit, optimize efficiency, and scale operations. 

“The entire system was built around profitability and efficiency, and people, especially vulnerable workers, often became a secondary concern,” he explains. 

That realization stayed with him.

With this in mind, Salim created ItsGLO Cleaning. His business is designed to make employment more accessible for newcomers. Today, ItsGLO Cleaning serves over 200 monthly clients across Toronto, employing newcomers who have other responsibilities such as attending language classes to adjust to life in Canada. Since its inception, they have helped more than 27 individuals take their first steps toward independence and stability. 

Reflecting on his experience, Salim talks about how the Student Refugee Program changed his life by providing him with access to education and a community. “That is something I was to pay forward,” he shares. 

Salim has this message for students. “Your journey is yours to shape. It won’t be easy, but with patience and effort, the possibilities are limitless.”

Salim shares that this work is a continuation of everything he has learned through engineering, consulting, and his own experience as a newcomer. “I used to think about infrastructure as just roads and buildings,” he says. Now, I see it differently. Opportunity is infrastructure. If you build it well, it connects people, gives them stability, and helps them move forward.”