Compassion & Empathy are Foundational to Community Development

Whether it’s serving as a board director for an organization, facilitating organizational leadership and corporate training, providing leadership, learning, and growth strategies for entrepreneurs and leaders who want to inspire change, helping younger generations with career and professional development, facilitating youth and women’s empowerment programs, or providing crisis intervention and advocacy to the most marginalized members of our community, my passion is to help others create transformation inside and out so they can live a fulfilling life in alignment with their core values. I am grateful to return as the Board Director of KPU Alumni Association and to give back to my university by helping KPU Alumni succeed professionally post graduation. I am eager to help you get started on reaching your goals faster.

Over the last 5+ years, I have had the privilege of making an impact in my communities through my work in the area of homeless prevention. Working with individuals experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of homelessness inspired me to complete my Honours thesis on homelessness and public policy, (In)Visible Influences: Conceptualizing Homelessness in the Age of Over-Regulation and Neoliberalism, which you can find here. I was also chosen to be the People's Choice Speaker to speak on ending homelessness at TEDxChilliwack in 2019. Becoming a TEDxSpeaker has been a humbling experience and the highlight is not being on stage but what has come after… Hearing countless stories of everyday individuals who experienced or nearly experienced homelessness due to circumstances outside their control reaffirming that any one of us can experience homelessness.

The story of how I became a Rotarian goes back to late 2000’s when I was 17, working on a National Anti-Bullying Campaign and our group was nominated for the Rotary Club of North Delta’s Compassion and Empathy Award. While we didn’t win the award, I was intrigued by my very first Rotary Club meeting but I didn’t know what the Rotary Club was at that time. It wasn’t until approximately 10 years later that a new friend and fellow activist, John Sovereign reintroduced me to Rotary and invited me as his guest to the Rotary Club of Chilliwack After Hours. As I learned more about the Rotary Club, I discovered how strongly the Rotary Club’s vision and mission aligns with mine and becoming a member was a no-brainer. Sadly, Less than two weeks after I joined the Rotary Club, John passed away of pancreatic cancer. The Rotary Club of Chilliwack After Hours Honoured John with the Paul Harris Fellowship. John left behind two gifts that I will cherish forever - another person, Tracy Goodwin, whom he also nominated to join the Rotary Club who is now a dear friend of mine, and my new Rotary Club family. Shortly after, I was offered the role of the Secretary of the Club and I accepted the role as a way of carrying on John’s torch. Soon after (more recently), I stepped into the role of Club President and I am learning the ropes as I go on.