moi

I started my first job at a trendy marketing agency in Osborne Village where I worked my way from Marketing Co-ordinator to Account Manager to Vice President. At Hep, I learned more than I ever thought possible at my age. In 2006, I attended a Marketing Conference in Ottawa where I saw John Wood speak of his adventures from Leaving Microsoft to Change the World with a non-profit, Room to Read. I started dreaming of how I could help the world around me.

This was, to quote Winston Churchill:
“…not the end. Not even the beginning of the end. Nor is it the end of the beginning. It’s the beginning of the beginning.”

At this point, I started volunteering with UNICEF, Villa Cabrini, Children’s Wish Foundation and Siloam Mission. I became involved with The Water Conservation Challenge and sat on the board of Little Travellers. In 2009, I traveled to South Africa to volunteer via The Global Volunteer Network on KlipKop’s Wildlife Sanctuary. While I was there, I had the joy of meeting and contributing school supplies and books to the Director of Education & Development of ZOTE Worldwide to distribute to a schools in Africa. I was able to visit Nelson Mandela‘s home in Soweto, and visit the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg.

Upon arriving home, I taught volleyball for eight weeks as a SPIN Instructor (Sports Programs for Inner City Neighbourhoods). Once a month I joined a group of women preparing and serving meals at Siloam Mission. I then worked as the Family Selection Chair for Habitat for Humanity Virden and will see my families move in to their first home this year. In 2011, I traveled to India to volunteer with a Women's Empowerment Centre and realized an intense passion to work with women and raise their economic contributions and status all over the world.

What I hope for is not, necessarily, to change the world…but to change the little bit around me. My skills at a high level involve dreaming big, working hard, and connecting people. At a production level, they involve new media and communication strategies.

I eventually want to become a social entrepreneur...starting businesses and/or centers that help people help themselves. To make them feel like they belong and teach them skills to develop sustainable lives, focusing most specifically on women. I want to create moments of connection, creativity and greatness.