Inspiring immigrants in the Maritimes

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The 2020 Most Inspiring Immigrants in the Maritimes awards are an acknowledgement that celebrate Canadian immigrants who stand out in their towns and cities across the region. An annual event is hosted by My East Coast Experience, an organization dedicated to communicating the experiences of our region’s newcomers to inspire others to welcome immigrants and newcomers to take advantage of the region’s amazing opportunities. The award was handed out during a gala ceremony on January 17, 2020 in Halifax.

The nominees are assessed on the key criteria of leadership, achievement, impact in their community, growth and development, vision, community involvement and contribution and social responsibility. They must also be living or working in any of the Maritime Provinces consistently for the last five years.  The recipients are then chosen by a distinguished Judging Panel/Advisory Board comprising of members from N.B., P.E.I. and N.S.

Five Dalhousie University alumni, as well as a faculty member, were among those honoured for their vision and leadership in the community. They are introduced below.

Ahmed-Hussein_Dal-alumni Ahmad Hussein (BSc’03, MSc’06, DDS’13) of Palestine

Whether it’s working as a volunteer in the healthcare system, building homes for at-risk families or working on improving HRM living conditions for all, his passion lies in helping others and celebrating diversity.
Nargis-deMolitor Tanzania dal-alumni Nargis deMolitor (BScHE’78, BScN’93) of Tanzania

Her contributions include promoting diverse voices in public policy, empowering and helping immigrants to become involved and engaged in the vibrancy of their communities and in political governance.
Kourosh-Rad_Dal-alumni Kourosh Rad (BCD’11) of Iran

For initiating several projects to inspire change at the regional, national and international level, including the renowned “Art of City Building Conference” and “Sweden-Canada Cleantech Matchmaking Platform.”
Austin-Zhang_Dal-alumni Austin Zhang (BMGT’15, BScR’15) of China

Since volunteering with the Dalhousie International Centre as an undergrad, his journey of volunteering and community engagement has continued with one-of-a-kind opportunities for personal and professional development through his workplace, including a province-wide pilot of an international student support program.
Primrose-Watson_Dal-alumni Primrose Watson (BComm’13, JD’18) of Sri Lanka

Passionate about helping her community, she is an avid supporter of civic engagement and has volunteered in leadership positions in many provincial and federal election campaigns for local candidates.
Rita-Orji_Dal-alumni Rita Orji of Nigeria, Faculty of Computer Science professor and Director of the Persuasive Computing Lab 

A renowned speaker whose work is globally recognized. Her research is in the area of human-computer interaction with a strong focus on designing persuasive applications for promoting health and wellness.

Read more about the “Most Inspiring Immigrants in the Maritimes 2020” myeastcoastexperience.com.