Hi, I'm Samantha Iligan

My Story

Dear New Grad,

Thank you for visiting my passion project. I hope it encourages you to keep going, just as it helped me get back on my own two feet.

A little about me: I graduated from the University of Alberta in April 2025 with a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Marketing and minoring in Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Management (SEM), along with a Certificate of International Learning. I loved my degree, but even then, I often felt lost about what I wanted to do with my life.

In June 2025, after a series of events, I found myself unemployed for the first time since I was 16. My identity had always been tied to being the independent, employed friend; so when that disappeared, it felt like my whole life was falling apart. At the same time, I was also dealing with other problems, one of them was a medical emergency back home in the Philippines.

I decided to pause and take a two-month trip to the Philippines and Japan, where my family and closest friends live. That trip made me realize that maybe things needed to fall apart to make space for something better. Even when everything felt like it was crumbling, my friends and family helped me stand again.

I know how fortunate I am to have such a strong support system, and I want to share that sense of encouragement with others. There was a time when I didn’t have this kind of support, and I almost gave up. But my older sister became the light in my darkest hours. It only takes one person to lift you up. If this project can do that for even one person, I’ll proudly call it a success.

Whether you’re here to share your story or to find encouragement in others’, you’re welcome in this space.

Welcome to Letters to New Grads, and congratulations on your achievement. I’m proud of you; and you should be too.

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From, 

Samantha Iligan