The immigration experience can shake self-confidence. Building Bridges helps immigrant and refugee women discover themselves. In a safe and inclusive environment, women work in a group setting through collaboration, discovery, and sharing to re-build their capacity.
“When I joined BB, I was looking for a platform to contribute towards community and women . Now, I understand community service platforms better and have established confidence to help within my capacities,” said Arjinder, a graduate of our 2020 Building Bridges class.
This year, we had an exceptional cohort, which we are pleased to introduce below:
Carolina Macias
Carolina is a newcomer to Vancouver who spent the last 3 years creating a new life in Canada, gathering tools to thrive in her community. She has a background in business administration and currently works for a non-profit organization as a program assistant supporting newcomers in their settlement process.
Ana Noemy Cuellar
Ana has a professional background in Employment Law and Early Childhood Education. She has volunteered as a Spanish Interpreter with newcomers in a special program for expecting mothers coordinated through Vancouver Coastal Health. As an immigrant herself, she is highly motivated to help newcomers and isolated women to integrate and stay connected with the multicultural and wonderful community in Canada. One of her aspiring goals is to explore opportunities to transition into a new career in the settlement sector.
Arjinder Kaur
Arjinder is an experienced Information Technology professional, driven by the desire to create positive change in the lives of others. She believes strongly in education, women empowerment, and growth mindset. Combining her experience in computer science and education, Arjinder is motivated to share her expertise and empower others to use technology to benefit their lives.
Clarita N. Casiver
Clarita is a hospitality and tourism professional with a passion to help and empower others. Lately, she has been focusing on developing her public speaking skills to overcome nervousness and share her story. Clarita’s goal is to become a facilitator in the community to empower others to overcome challenges and believe in themselves.
Ana Santiago
Ana is a professional educator with a background in teaching and early childhood education. As an immigrant woman herself, Ana’s passion is to support other newcomers in their settlement process.
Lidia León
Lidia is a workshop facilitator, Early Childhood Educator and Artist committed to developing connections between people and their community. She creates interactive, hands-on workshops where participants can experience growth in their self-knowledge through different artistic techniques, contributing to a positive social change in the community.
Nelly Lopez
Nelly is a well-being lover looking to facilitate women workshops where a holistic approach makes everyone feel empowered and connected. She is passionate about promoting a more nourished life through real food and nurturing habits. Nelly is a Certified Nutritional Practitioner, Reikist and former International Business Professional.
Elizabeth Montgomery
Born in Lima, Peru, Elizabeth is an accomplished artist, who is outgoing, self-motivated, a team player, and a people’s person. Since she moved to Canada, she has worked with multicultural and diverse communities, be it for teaching Spanish, participating in volunteer projects with senior citizens, women and youth, offering interpretation for new immigrants, and interviewing artists for a newspaper. Now Elizabeth is looking to work as a Community Developer, Facilitator, or a Board of Directors member for a non-profit organization.
“I wanted to be a public speaker and built my confidence. First of all, I learned how to overcome my nervousness and practice to improved communication skills, listening skills, and speaking skills. In Building Bridges, I learned to achieve my goals, to keep moving forward in everyday life. I see myself now as confident, more mature in life…” said Clarita. Our participants worked very hard over the course of the program and we are excited to see what fabulous opportunities await them, now that they’ve graduated! Best of luck, ladies!!