George Brown Polytechnic is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other.
Curated by the Student Success Team at the School of ESL and Immigrant Education within the Centre for Preparatory and Liberal Studies, Unpacked: Honouring the Stories We Carry is a photo and storytelling exhibit that explores migration, identity, and the meaning of home.
Developed in collaboration with George Brown’s 2024 PEN Writer in Residence, Tala Motazedi, the exhibit was created alongside The Stories We Carry Writing Contest. Through personal reflections, students and alumni of the School of ESL and Immigrant Education share their experiences of change, connection, wounds, growth, and self-discovery.
The exhibit invites visitors to listen, learn and reflect on the stories of those who have moved, navigated new beginnings, and built belonging in unfamiliar places.
WHAT WE CARRY: UNPACKING OUR STORIES
At the centre of the exhibit is a world map filled with pins, each marking where participants or visitors are from. This interactive display reflects the diverse makeup of the George Brown community and its global learners.
Stories are then displayed through written reflections accompanied with photos, as well as symbolic suitcases containing personal artifacts—a concept proposed by student participant, Jinoos Taghizadeh.
“Through suitcases filled with personal artifacts, alongside photography, interviews, writing, and art, the exhibit invites us to pause and listen—to stories too often unheard. These are stories of movement and memory, of what we carry and what carries us.” — Dorothy Van Grootheest, Student Success Coordinator/Professor at the School of ESL and Immigrant Education.
VOICE: SHARING IT, FINDING IT, RECLAIMING IT
This exhibit was more than a reflection to participants; it was an avenue for expression. For many, their experience with moving was the same. Moving to Canada was more than just learning to speak the language, it was a gateway to learning how to use their voice and freely express it.
“When I first moved to Canada, I remember asking in class, ‘Am I allowed to say this?’” — Student contributor.
Whether it was through writing, photography, or conversation, participants were eager to share their stories, not only within the exhibit but with the visitors who attended.
BUILDING A HOME WITHIN A HOME
For many participants, it was the opportunity to form friendships and build community that helped them feel at home. No matter where their journeys began, they found connection and belonging, through their stories, in each other, and in the safe space they created together.
“We found a home within a home.” — Anahita, Hilal, Heba, members of the Student Success Team.
“We shared a space that helped us feel less isolated and lost.” — Mehdi Habibagahi, alum of the School of ESL and Immigrant Education at George Brown.
“More than a showcase, Unpacked reflects the strength and importance of a space and learning community at the School of ESL and Immigrant Education where people feel welcomed, understood, and empowered. This exhibit affirms the deep value of community, and the voices that connect and grow within it.” — Dorothy Van Grootheest, Student Success Coordinator and Professor at the School of ESL and Immigrant Education.
Unpacked shows that we all have and bring stories worth telling, and it’s in community that we find the courage to share them.
Visit the exhibit before it closes on Friday, June 6, 2025.
Located at 185 Queens Quay E. (Waterfront Campus), 2nd Floor | Open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
