Meet the Kenyan Nurse in Canada Planning a Shift to Full-Time Content Creation
Magdalene Milanoi, known on TikTok as @its_Millanoi, has built a large online following while working as a registered nurse in Canada.
The Kenyan-born content creator, who describes herself as a “simple Maasai girl,” combines fashion content, commentary, and event hosting for an audience of more than 126,000 followers. Three of her most viewed TikTok videos have together reached nearly 11 million views.
Behind her online presence, Milanoi maintains a professional career in healthcare. She trained as a nurse in Kenya at a college in Msambweni, Kwale County, and later worked in several major hospitals, including Nairobi Hospital and Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital. Her role focused on operating theatre nursing.
She now works as a registered nurse in Ontario while developing her profile as a brand influencer and event host. Although she continues to practise nursing, she says she hopes to move fully into influencing within the next two to three years.
Her relocation to Canada followed an earlier plan to move to Australia. With the support of family and friends, she had secured a college placement there. When the plan fell through, she turned to Canada through an agency recruiting nurses for postgraduate studies.
The move required about Sh2 million, which she financed through a government loan and personal savings. Milanoi arrived in Ontario in 2019 as a postgraduate student. She soon encountered restrictions on the number of hours international students could work, which made it difficult to support herself.
During this period, she worked as a waitress while sharing accommodation, a significant adjustment from the independent life she had led in Kenya. She later completed certificate programmes in palliative care and healthcare management at Niagara College.
Entering Canada’s healthcare system involved a lengthy registration process and other challenges, including experiences of racial discrimination. Milanoi said some patients questioned her qualifications in ways that did not occur with her white colleagues. She said she often chooses not to engage in such situations.
Migration also affected her personal life. A long-term relationship ended during the period she was settling abroad. She said distance, time differences, and the lack of physical presence placed strain on the relationship. In her view, many partnerships face similar pressures when one partner moves overseas.
Milanoi is now established in Canada as both a registered nurse and a visible figure within the African diaspora community. Despite building a life abroad, she says she still misses Kenya, particularly the coastal climate, local food, and the sense of community.
