From Delhi to Lakehead: Three Siblings, One Faculty, and a Family Story Written Through Education

written by Sakshi and Manisha

For Sakshi, Mohit, and Manisha, graduating from Lakehead University’s Faculty of Education is not only an academic achievement. It is the continuation of a family story shaped by struggle, courage, sacrifice, and an unshakable belief in the power of education.

The three siblings were born in the slum communities of Delhi, India, into a financially marginalized family where daily survival often came before dreaming. Their father never had the opportunity to attend school. Their mother had to drop out of elementary school because she was a girl. In a family where formal education had been denied across generations, Sakshi, Mohit, and Manisha became the first generation ever to attend university.

“We could never imagine being where we are today, let alone seeing Mohit getting his doctorate and us getting our master’s degrees in Canada,” said Sakshi and Manisha.

Today, the three siblings share a remarkable connection: all three have graduated from Lakehead University’s Faculty of Education. Sakshi, the eldest, completed her Master of Education. Mohit completed his PhD specializing in Sociocultural and Political Contexts of Education. Manisha, the youngest, completed her Master of Education through the thesis route.

Their journey to Lakehead is a story of individual achievement, but even more deeply, it is a story of collective survival.

“We are a close-knit family and the biggest support for each other,” said Sakshi. “None of us could reach the point we are at today without each other.”

Mohit's Path

For Mohit, the road to education began early and without a map.

“I started working at the age of 14 and never stopped working since,” he said. “I had no guidance related to education and schooling, but I knew that the answer to my family’s and my struggles lay in education.”

That search eventually brought him to Lakehead University in July 2022.

"I came to Canada alone in July 2022 to begin my PhD. What began as excitement soon became loneliness, culture shock, and depression, and there were moments when the dream I had carried with me felt unbearably heavy. What helped me emerge from that darkness were exceptionally supportive people in our faculty and most specifically, my PhD supervisor, Dr. Gerald Walton, who not only pushed me forward during my most difficult days, but also became a constant source of motivation, care, and encouragement. From there, I began to find my location for healing in community and activism," said Mohit.

At Lakehead, Mohit became involved with Pride Central through the Lakehead University Student Union, served as Coordinator of the Multicultural Centre, and later became President of the Lakehead University Graduate Students’ Association. His advocacy grew into a broader commitment to international students, queer and trans students, and others navigating isolation, housing challenges, mental health concerns, and the transition to life in a new country.

That activism became inseparable from his scholarship. His doctoral research, titled “Canada-Here”: A Narrative Inquiry Into Queer International Students’ Experiences in Small-City Ontario, reflects his commitment to studying belonging, migration, gender, sexuality, and higher education. His academic and community work has been recognized through numerous honours, including Lakehead University’s President’s Award, the Teaching Innovation Award, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, the OCUFA Henry Mandelbaum Graduate Fellowship, and Lakehead Leader Awards for three years in a row.

He is now teaching in the Faculty of Education as a lecturer while preparing for the next stage of his academic career.

Sakshi: Building a New Life

Mohit’s Lakehead journey did not end with his own degree. In many ways, it opened a door for his sisters.

Sakshi arrived in Thunder Bay in May 2024 with her husband and daughter to pursue her Master of Education. Many international students arrive in Canada alone and face uncertainty around housing, belonging, employment, and community. Sakshi said Mohit had already created a foundation for her family.

“It is only because of my brother that I could come to Canada, study at Lakehead, and achieve so much more,” she said. “We had a home ready to welcome us right on arrival.”

Before coming to Canada, Sakshi had been working as an Administrative Manager. Upon arriving in Canada, she began learning about Indigenous histories, cultures, and lived realities, learning that she described as powerful and humbling.

While balancing graduate studies, motherhood, part-time work, and family responsibilities, she served in leadership roles, participated in committee discussions, and gained insight into university governance, collaboration, and community engagement. She is now working as an administrative assistant with a Thunder Bay-based organization and has also started her own business providing products and services to local businesses in the city.

Manisha: Following the Path

Manisha’s path to Lakehead was shaped by curiosity, hesitation, and eventually, love for the place she would come to call home.

Before arriving in Canada, she completed a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and a Master’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Delhi, followed by a Master of Arts in History. While studying history, she also worked as a Business Development Manager before deciding whether to fully commit to an academic path.

“I was not sure if I wanted to move to Canada,” Manisha said. “My brother Mohit invited me in June 2024 as a visitor to experience it first, and I fell in love with Thunder Bay. I am forever grateful to my brother for carving this path for me.”

As the youngest sibling, Manisha sees her journey as one made possible by the care and sacrifices of Sakshi and Mohit.

“I am the youngest, and my siblings always cared for me in such a way that I never had to face the challenges they did,” she said.

At Lakehead, Manisha completed the Master of Education thesis program. She arrived with the intention of eventually pursuing a doctorate in education, a goal that remains central to her future. She credits Lakehead with strengthening her as a researcher and especially acknowledges her thesis supervisor, Dr. Lori Chambers, whose mentorship, patience, and feedback helped her complete her thesis successfully.

“The best thing Lakehead gave me was Dr. Chambers’ guidance,” Manisha said. “Her patience and regular feedback helped me grow as a researcher and strengthen my research.”

A Shared Achievement

Across their three journeys, Sakshi, Mohit, and Manisha represent different dimensions of education: education as survival, education as research, education as activism, education as family responsibility, and education as a pathway to dignity.

What began in Delhi, in a family where dreams were often constrained by daily survival, has now reached Lakehead University’s Faculty of Education in Thunder Bay. One sibling earned a PhD. Two earned master’s degrees. All three found, in education, a language for transformation.

For Sakshi, Mohit, and Manisha, Lakehead became more than a university. It became a place where a family’s long journey through struggle, migration, scholarship, and love could be recognized as something powerful: a shared achievement, a collective graduation, and a reminder that education can change the future of an entire family.

“What was especially an honour for us was that our mother witnessed us graduate on the same day, all together.”