New Pioneers Awards 2008

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New Pioneers Awards - 2008

Award Winners

Sashar Zarif (Arts)
In 1988, Sashar Zarif immigrated to Canada from Turkey as a Stateless Refugee of the United Nations. With the assistance of his parents he had escaped from Iran through the mountains and sought asylum in Turkey. After three years in a refugee camp in Turkey, he arrived in Canada alone. One of the most difficult things about immigrating to Canada was not seeing either of his parents for 13 years. Sashar has lived in many different countries, including India, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey. He arrived in Canada carrying the traditions of those cultures and bearing the mental and physical burdens of imprisonment and torture he had witnessed and suffered as a teenager.
In Canada, Sashar faced financial hardship and isolation. Despite being alone in this country, he managed not only to make up - while working - the three years of schooling he had missed, but finished high school with an A average. He was then offered admission to a very prestigious engineering school - the University of Waterloo.

But in the end, engineering lost out to dance. For as long as he can remember, Sashar has been a dancer – and an activist. As an artist, he has a commitment to “contribute to social and individual expression concerning pressing cultural issues: issues that impact the health of our society, our environment and our individuality – including the well-being of our souls.” His belief that the artist can create works that “express and promote the human urge towards living in harmony” has led him to extensive research and field work in dance and music ethnology throughout Central Asia, Eurasia and the Near East. Through teaching and performing - from Mongolia in the east to Europe and across South and North America - he has widely reflected and represented Canadian diversity.

Eighteen months after arriving in Canada, Sashar received an award from the East York Board of Education for his contribution to multiculturalism and diversity at Eastern High School of Commerce, where he was finishing his schooling. In 1993, he founded and directed the Sashar Zarif Dance Theatre and the Canadian Academy of Azerbaijani Dance. In 2001, Sashar founded, and continues to direct, Dancers for Peace, an international festival reflecting a vision of hope and peace that transcends barriers between nations, races and religions. In 2003, he was awarded the Chalmers Professional Development Grant and in 2004, he received his MA from York University, Faculty of Fine Arts, in Dance and Dance Ethnology. That same year, he began teaching at York University with the Dance Department, Faculty of Fine Arts, where he started a successful credit course called “Introduction to World Dance Practices: Dances of North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia”.

Sashar’s message - that art can have an impact on social issues and play a significant role in change - resonates with the community at large. It is vital that newcomers insert themselves into their new culture in a positive and affirming way. Sashar leads by example; as an artistic ambassador for multiculturalism and diversity, he is a valued role model for new Canadians who have been through horrific experiences.

Helen Tewolde (Community Service)
Helen Tewolde epitomizes the story of second-generation Canadian achievers and trailblazers born to immigrant parents. During the civil war with Ethiopia, Helen’s parents fled Eritrea. In Gondor, Ethiopia, Helen’s father worked as a math teacher; later, in Aqaba, Jordan where Helen was born, her father worked as a senior accountant. Although he earned a good living there, he brought his family to Canada, where civil liberties were secure and his children could obtain a strong education. For the past 24 years, however, Helen’s father has been driving a taxi in Canada, work that is precarious and unsafe. Her mother works as a packer and machine operator in a factory. Her parents’ shifting schedules and long hours prompted Helen to independence at a young age. In addition to acting as her family’s advocate and mediator, she has achieved her own educational aims and successfully balanced work alongside undergraduate and graduate studies.
Currently an M.A. candidate, Helen is enrolled in the Theory & Policy Studies department with a specialization in Comparative, International and Development Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. She is the recipient of a full-time academic scholarship, the Gordon Cressy Leadership Award (2007) from the University of Toronto and the McMaster University Students’ Union Leadership Award (2001).

Not only has Helen met the high expectations that immigrant parents place on their children but she has also become a role model to many young people. “As a diaspora youth, it is always difficult to understand what your role is – whether you should fulfill cultural duties or excel in mainstream society.” Through her community work, Helen has found that these are not mutually exclusive options.

A visionary and innovative builder, Helen has focused her research, community service and activism on various issues, including: international development and education in Africa; immigrant and refugee advocacy; HIV/AIDS transmission among African women and girls; capacity building for African Diaspora organizations including support for social entrepreneurship and leadership development.

She has not limited herself to the perimeters of her own Eritrean-Canadian community but actively exercises leadership with other communities, groups and organizations locally and internationally.

Helen puts passion, energy and intellect into her community activism. From fundraising to organizing, from convening to advocacy, from writing to presenting, from researching to educating, Helen has deployed strategies that have always created space and opportunity for others around her. A team-builder and a source of inspiration for many youth and immigrant women, she leads with integrity, care and by example.

A true New Pioneer, Helen joins other immigrants in crafting new stories in our communities, cities and country.

Bernardo Riveros (Entrepreneurship)
In 1996, Bernardo Riveros came to Canada from Colombia as an international student. Having fallen in love with this country and its people, he decided to immigrate and in 1998 became a permanent resident. With a background in the film industry, Bernardo began to look for work but quickly encountered a major barrier: lack of Canadian experience. “Even though Canada is a multicultural country, I feel that unfortunately discrimination is an issue . . .” After months of desperately seeking employment, Bernardo decided to join his friend who had just started his own business and became part of the International Language Academy of Canada (ILAC).
Today, ten years later, ILAC is an industry leader in Canada. In 2007, ILAC received in London UK the Language Travel Magazine Award as the LTM Star English Language School of North America. That same year ILAC also received the Top Choice Award as the Top Language School of the year in Toronto. In 2006 ILAC was shortlisted for the LTM Star English Language School and in 2005 the readers of Eye Weekly Magazine voted ILAC as the best language school in Toronto.

With 5,000 students per year from more than 50 countries, ILAC is now one of the largest language schools in Toronto. The school employs more than 100 full-time staff and provides an income to close to 600 families in the GTA. In line with Bernardo’s belief in helping newcomers, nearly 80% of his staff are new Canadians. If he himself cannot hire a recent immigrant, he taps into his extensive professional network to help the person find a job.

For three years, Bernardo was the President of the non-profit Colombian Canadian Professional Association (CCPA). There he was able to help a large number of new immigrants with their settlement process. Keeping in mind his own experience when looking for work in Canada, he organized conferences for various professions, such as engineering, finance and health care. Through the CCPA mentoring program, several professionals found work. A special achievement for Bernardo was being involved in raising $42,000 to enable a young Colombian immigrant, who had lost his arms in an electrical accident, to purchase the electronic components necessary for his prostheses – and thus allow him to realize his dream of starting a new life in Canada and helping his family.

A well-known and respected leader within the Hispanic community in the GTA, Bernardo received the Latin American Business Man of the Year Award in 2002.

Dr. Jianhong Wu (Science and Technology)
Born and educated in China, Professor Wu has lived in Canada since 1998. An extraordinarily talented mathematician and internationally recognized scientific leader, both in pure mathematics and applied mathematics, Professor Wu has (despite his youth) already made a large number of important contributions to mathematics and its applications. As a faculty member at York University, he faced challenges similar to those experienced by many other immigrants working in Canadian academic communities: teaching and interacting with students from completely different educational backgrounds; conducting and leading research projects in different academic and social environments; and developing and retaining collaborative opportunities between his place of birth and Canada. “Fortunately,” he writes, “Canada is such a highly multicultural society that I could handle the challenge well while keeping my own identity. I now have PhD students and research associates from all over the world and am leading several international collaborative research projects.” For his significant role in building collaboration between Canada and China in the field of disease modeling, Professor Wu has been awarded the prestigious Cheung Kong Visiting Professorship by the Chinese Ministry of Education.
Professor Wu has received recognition for “significant progress . . . in an interdisciplinary program involving interface of fundamental research and real life applications.” Leading a national team of scientists from universities, public health research institutes and government agencies, he has worked on modeling and qualitative analysis of issues of critical importance to the prediction, control, intervention and prevention of emerging infectious diseases such as SARS, pandemic influenza and the West Nile virus. The team's work has received widespread attention and media coverage, and is the basis for the establishment of the Centre for Disease Modeling under his leadership.

With substantial grants from such funders as the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Social Sciences and Humanity Research Council of Canada, Mathematics for Information Technology and Complex Systems, and International Development Research Center, Professor Wu had been able to bring excellent Chinese researchers to Canada. This fruitful exchange of ideas and methods accelerates the growth of both mathematics and its applications, and contributes significantly to the building of national capacity in both countries for public health decision-making using cutting edge mathematical theories and technologies. It also fortifies relations between the Canadian and Chinese scientific and academic establishments in general.

In 2003, Professor Wu was featured in Toronto Life as one of the “Top 18 Scientists in Toronto.” His books and numerous research articles have attracted international attention and recognition. Among the awards is his appointment to the rare honor of a Canada Research Chair (Tier I) in Applied Mathematics, Paul Erdos Visiting Professorship from Hungary Academy of Sciences, and Humboldt Fellowship from Germany. In addition, he has held visiting professorships at the Université de Paris Sud in France, the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil and Hunan and Xian Jiaotong Universities in China.

Professor Wu’s work promises benefits to health, as well as the illumination of interesting and subtle mathematical areas.

Afshin Ebtekar (Skills for Change Graduate)
After landing in Canada in 2000, Afshin Ebtekar began studying English and collecting detailed information regarding the job market and job search techniques. Afshin soon learned about Skills for Change and applied for its Sector-specific Terminology, Information and Counselling (STIC) program for internationally educated engineers. When the course was about to start, however, he found a part-time job as Land Surveyor. Because his work hours conflicted with the STIC program’s schedule, he postponed his attendance in program until 2001. Through the STIC for Engineers program, Afshin learned how to prepare his resume, received information regarding the job market, and improved his English language and interview skills.
After graduation from STIC program, Afshin joined a co-op program at Yorkdale Adult Centre while working in his temporary job. Working, attending a program and job searching simultaneously, brought home the reality of job search being a full-time job. During that period, he barely got three to four hours of sleep each day.

In March 2001, Afshin was hired by his current employer, Halsall Associates, as a structural designer; in 2004, he successfully finished the Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) licensing process and gained his Professional Engineering designation. Now a Project Manager and shareholder with the same company, Afshin has not forgotten the path he had to travel to get there.

As soon as his own employment situation was settled, Afshin started contributing to the community. He began by giving back to the organization that had held his hand and helped him succeed in achieving his employment goals. He became a member of the Skills for Change Alumni and actively participated in its meetings. To serve those who needed help with their job search and to give back to Skills for Change, Afshin joined the Mentoring Program, a relationship he has maintained for years now. Currently he is also involved in the Group Mentoring Program offered by ICNetwork through JVS Toronto. He has also unofficially mentored a number of internationally educated engineers.

Afshin is a member of the PEO Experience Requirement Committee panel on a volunteer basis, which helps PEO accelerate the licensing procedure for new immigrants. As a firm believer in the value of multiculturalism and the strong contribution that new immigrants can make to the Canadian Society, Afshin actively participates in this endeavour.

Afshin’s varied activities in the wider community include initiating and organizing information sessions, cultural events and recreational activities. In addition, he has participated in number of charity events and food drives, been an active member and officer of the Toast Master Club, participated and managed a Folkloric Choir Group.

Fully engaged in his profession and community, Afshin exemplifies the strengths and benefits of our multicultural society.

Ellen Xi Yang (Youth)
When Ellen Xi Yang arrived in Toronto in 2003, her strength of character, resourcefulness and courage enabled her to overcome three significant barriers to settling in Canada: learning a new language, adapting to a new school, and integrating into Canadian culture. The difficult first step was speaking English – a language very different from the Mandarin she had spoken for 13 years - with fluency and confidence. Although often made fun of when she mispronounced words, she wasn’t silenced by the teasing. Believing that “practice makes perfect,” she worked hard to speak frequently and accurately. Within the first month of her arrival in Canada, she achieved an A+ average in all aspects of the ESL program and was therefore switched to a regular class.
At Riverdale Collegiate Institute, Ellen has earned Certificates of Merit (above 90 percent average) and Certificates of Achievement (top five students) from Grade 9 to Grade 11. Last year she also received six academic awards for earning the highest marks in Biology, Physics, Art, Psychology/Sociology/Anthropology, Mathematics, and Accounting, for a total of 12 academic honours over her first three years of high school. For three consecutive years, she has received the University of Waterloo’s Certificate of Distinction in the Pascal, Cayley, and Fermat Math Contest. Behind those achievements, there are late nights of studying and weekends of exploring beyond the textbook. Ellen’s goal is to become a cardiovascular surgeon; she often uses this goal to motivate herself in her everyday work. As part of her school community, Ellen plays an active role in several clubs and teams. She helps lead the Recycling Club, and represented Riverdale Collegiate in the TDSB ECO-School Conference at Metro Convention Centre in 2007. In addition to participating in track and field events, she is president of the school’s Science and Debating clubs and led the Reach for the Top team. She also tutors fellow students who want help with academic performance. The most difficult and fascinating challenge for Ellen has been the process of integrating into Canadian society. Through her volunteer work, she began to learn about different cultures. She reached out to Chinese elders through the Greenwood Intergenerational program. For two years she worked at the SEA (Service Enhance Access Support) Community Centre, helping immigrant children adapt to Canadian culture. Volunteering at the Bata Shoe Museum gave her an opportunity to learn about anthropology, art history and different customs. In addition, she works an average of 15 hours each week with two autistic children and has been learning communication therapies which she has been able to apply in other situations (such as the weekly tutoring of a three-year-old Chinese adoptee and her Caucasian parents in Mandarin), as well as working with a developmentally challenged toddler adopted from foster care. By working to overcome her own cultural barriers, Ellen has earned a broad base of friends across ethnicities. She comments, “I am very fortunate to be living in a city like Toronto and to be studying at a high school that reflects the city’s multicultural nature. As a youth whose teenage life was dramatically transformed by immigrating to Canada, I am glad that I have successfully settled into Canada.”