“Be inclusive and accepting of other people’s ideas and habits, and you can be a changemaker for gender equality.”

-Karl Narvacan

Age: 29

Hometown: Manila, Philippines

Currently Residing In: Edmonton, Alberta

Affiliations: Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Centre Society, Choosing Wisely Canada

What influenced you to become a change-maker?

As first-generation immigrants from the Philippines, our family faced a common challenge—navigating the health care system. I vividly remember going to the ER one day when I had a severe toothache, only to be told eight hours later that dental care was not a covered service. This early experience, combined with my passion for education, inspired me to apply for a grant to launch HealthLINC (Literacy and Information for Newcomers to Canada), a presentation-based community program that provides relevant information about our health care system to newcomers to Canada. We worked with Migrante Alberta to deliver sessions on subjects such as how to navigate the Canadian system, covered health care services, and when to use the emergency room. After our presentations, we hold one-on-one sessions to assist these new Canadians in finding family doctors near their places of residence or work.

How does your work promote gender equality in Canada and around the world?

As a student in health care, I have had the privilege of listening to stories of people from all walks of life. Unfortunately, time and again, some of the stories we encounter relate to gender-related abuse and assault. Being a clinical clerk in the hospital allows me the opportunity to convey to patients that there are people they can speak to about their stories and that there are people willing to listen and help. As future medical practitioners, we are at the forefront of reducing gender inequities through the sheer power of listening and appropriate collaboration with interdisciplinary resources.

How does the work you do addressing gender inequality connect to progress on the other Sustainable Development Goals?

My work helps to address SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being. Through the help of the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI) and Alberta Innovates Health Solutions (AIHS), I was able to perform research in medical school related to prenatal alcohol exposure in children, as well as differences in sizes of deep brain structures between males and females.

These opportunities highlighted the notion that there is a big gap in health literature specifically regarding women’s health, as clinical research on women’s health is still severely lacking and underfunded. These research opportunities help highlight why medical research is important for our community.

More 2019 Top 30 Alumni

Janica Altea L. Echavez

"Encouraging young women and men in STEM is key to gaining more leaders and problem solvers that can address our current concerns in new, innovative ways." -Janica Altea L. Echavez Age: 23 Hometown: Cebu, Philippines Currently Residing In: Calgary, Alberta Affiliations: Next 36 Canada, Canadian Commission for UNESCO Youth Advisory Group, Science Expo Canada, Foundation of Student Science and Technology I was born and raised in the Philippines. While we owned a family exporting business, I was...

Peter Anto Johnson

"People become change-makers when they work towards a mutually benefiting outcome, one based on tolerance and respect." -Peter Anto Johnson Age: 22 Hometown: Angadical, Kerala, India Currently Residing In: Edmonton, Alberta Affiliations: Run for Support and Health (RuSH), University Infant Toddler Centre – University of Alberta, Student Health Committee, Health & Wellness Movement, Obesity Canada - Students & New Professional I’m a women and children’s health researcher, community...

Amber Rai

"To be a change-maker, you must identify an issue that needs to be addressed, think of ways to bring about the change, and evaluate your efforts to ensure you are making the impact that you hoped for." -Amber Rai Age: 20 Hometown: Edmonton, Alberta Currently Residing In: Sherwood Park, Alberta Affiliations: Learning Beyond Borders, HEAL International Ever since I joined the Learning Beyond Borders club over five years ago, I have been working on programs to help students in rural Uganda....

Nicole Jones-Abad

"It’s important to honour people’s pronouns, have physically accessible all-gender washrooms at events, and talk about gender in less binary terms. It’s also important to check in on your trans and non-binary friends, and make room for them."     -Nicole Jones-Abad Age: 23 Hometown: Quito, Ecuador Currently Residing In: Edmonton, Alberta Affiliations: Shades of Colour, RAYE (Rainbow Alliance for Youth of Edmonton), QWTF (Queer Women and Trans-folk Fest), The Edmonton Shift Lab While I’ve lived...

Mabel Smith

"It is important to find something that you love doing and that you feel has a positive impact on the world." -Mabel Smith Age: 22 Hometown: Edmonton, Alberta Currently Residing In: Edmonton, Alberta Affiliations: Engineers in Action I have always felt a strong sense of environmental and social responsibility. While still in elementary school, I became an obsessive recycler as well as a vegetarian, and I would carry home banana peels and apple cores to compost. More recently, I have developed...

Aditya Chaudhuri

"Realize that when you do not contribute to achieving gender equality, you are limiting the world from reaching its full potential." -Aditya Chaudhuri Age: 25 Hometown: Calgary, Alberta Currently Residing In: Calgary, Alberta Affiliations: Engineers Without Borders Canada (ACGC Member) I’m a musician, an engineer (in training), an absolute animal lover, but most importantly, a global citizen who is passionate about contributing towards a sustainable tomorrow. I used to think the world was only...

Saige Godberson

"In the face of adversity, do not settle but rather speak up and create change." -Saige Godberson Age: 23 Hometown: Spruce Grove, Alberta Currently Residing In: Spruce Grove, Alberta Affiliations: Youthnited Nations International, Stollery Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Sigma Nursing Honors Society, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Special Olympics Edmonton I often say that “if everyone makes a small change, together we will make a big difference.” As a registered nurse in...

Vivian Kwan

"Everyone can be a change-maker for gender equality by educating themselves about the prominent issues and showing respect for diversity." -Vivian Kwan Age: 26 Hometown: Edmonton, Alberta Currently Residing In: Edmonton, Alberta Affiliations: Centre for Race and Culture, UN Women, Edmonton Mental Health Awareness Committee, World Economic Forum Global Shapers Community, Lieutenant Governor’s Circle for Mental Health and Addiction Growing up in a traditional Chinese family, I was never...

Sara Kardash

"Listen to the stories of the women and gender-diverse people in our communities and take the time to unpack your unconscious biases." -Sara Kardash Age: 22 Hometown: Edmonton, Alberta Currently Residing In: Edmonton, Alberta Affiliations: Engineers Without Borders Canada (ACGC Member) I am in my final year of civil environmental engineering at the University of Alberta, where I have been involved with the on-campus Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Canada chapter as co-president. I went into...

John Christy Johnson

"I urge you to pay back to community, leave a trail of breadcrumbs for the prospective engineer, scientist, or astronaut, and pass the baton as you strive for personal success." -John Christy Johnson Age: 22 Hometown: Angadical, Kerala, India Currently Residing In: Edmonton, Alberta Affiliations: University of Alberta Rehabilitation Robotics Laboratory, ClickandPush Accessibility Inc., TEDxUAlberta As an Indo-Canadian and identical twin, I spend a fair proportion of my time thinking about...
Share This