The main way I curate connections is through story. Work that is not driven, informed, or shaped by the people it is meant to serve is not productive or meaningful to me. Connection begins through conversation by listening to lived experiences, building trust, and learning alongside others. Through shared stories and collaboration, I build communities of people who are passionate about the same issues, and it is within these moments that I do my most meaningful learning. I often remind myself that if I am the smartest person in the room, then I am in the wrong room. 

My work intentionally brings together individuals and communities directly experiencing the issue, as well as people in positions of power who want to support change, people who can help bridge gaps, and people who know more than I do. Meaningful change does not happen in isolation. By fostering these connections, I aim to bridge lived experience with institutional support and passion with action. 

How I work with communities begins with listening and continues through co-creation. Together, we design, reflect, and try again until the work truly serves community needs. I approach each space with humility, always as a student first, then a friend, then a community member, and finally a leader. 

Listening to stories is also how my first organization, Advocacy For The Ages, began. In high school, peers shared experiences of sexual harassment and assault, which compelled my co-founder, Joshua DeGuglielmo, and me to take action. What began as conversations grew into consent education and later expanded into workshops on consent, Canadian law, mental health resources, and trauma-informed practices for youth and seniors. This experience taught me that connection transforms care into action. If you care about something, do something about it, and do not do it alone. 

Connection will be foundational to my future work because nothing meaningful can exist without it. No lasting change has ever been achieved alone, and I do not believe that will change now. Real impact requires the support of many communities, alongside institutions, friends, families, neighbours, and those willing to show up with care and responsibility. Connection is not an addition to the work. It is what makes the work possible. 

In development work, connection is essential because initiatives that are disconnected from people’s lived realities often fail to serve the communities they are meant to support. When connection is absent, development becomes extractive, performative, or short lived. When connection is centered, development becomes relational, accountable, and grounded in trust. Listening, empathy, and shared ownership ensure that solutions are responsive rather than imposed, and that progress is measured not only by outcomes, but by who is included along the way. 

To create meaningful and lasting change, we must harness connections across difference and scale. This includes connections between communities and institutions, between youth and decision makers, between research and practice, and across generations. These relationships allow knowledge, resources, and care to circulate in ways that strengthen systems rather than isolate efforts. Connection is what turns ideas into action and action into sustained change. 

I believe connection can drive the future of sustainable and inclusive development. At a global level, connection brings people together around shared goals such as education, environmental

sustainability, and collective well being. At a more intimate level, connection is deeply human. It is the desire to be heard, to belong, and to care for one another. In my future work, I aim to build and nurture these connections by listening first, leading collaboratively, and grounding my work in empathy, love for community, and responsibility to our world.