Melanie was born and raised in the beautiful country of Cameroon, in Central Africa. She moved to Canada four years ago, and because French was her first language, Montreal was the natural choice for her new home. In 2015 Melanie graduated HEC Montreal business school with a Diploma in Management complemented by a Certificate in Human Resources, and set to discover Western Canada, specifically Calgary.
Sadia, an urban planner with five years of professional experience, is passionate about cities, people and people’s everyday movements within the city.
She was born and raised in Bangladesh, but has lived, studied, and worked in many countries before settling in Canada. After receiving her Master’s Degree in Geography and Environmental Management from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Sadia moved to Calgary in the fall of 2014 with her family.
As she says, “I enjoy exploring new places and making connections with the local people.”
Menchie Sabater was born in Manila. With a background in Electronics and Communications Engineering, she dedicated thirteen years working with the leading telecommunications and digital services provider in the Philippines.
In search of a better quality of life, she moved to Calgary in 2004 with her husband and their three children. She had heard so many great things about Canada and was excited to begin a new chapter in her life.
Before moving to Canada almost three years ago, Gulnaz lived in the Republic of Tatarstan of the Russian Federation. She was a Software Engineer, holding a Master Degree from Kazan State Technical University. However, computers are not Gulnaz’s only interest.
“My other passion is helping animals. I love working with dogs and training them.”
When she moved to Calgary, she brought along her best friend: Volcha, her German shepherd. Back home, they used to dance in the community for kids and their parents.
Ilma joined Immigrant Services Calgary (ISC) in March 2015 and since then has selflessly dedicated her time to help others as employment coach, community volunteer, interpreter, and translator.
Khushnazar was born and raised in Afghanistan. He graduated Kabul University with a MA Economics, and completed his doctoral studies at Tajikistan State University, achieving a PhD in History. He has been an educationist for more than 30 years, teaching math and science to students and later providing advanced training to other teachers. Khushnazar has dedicated his life not only to educating others but also to improving himself. He enjoys reading and writing poetry, listening to music and walking.
(From left to right) Ahmed Elorbany, Shilynn Lucas, Zack Zhang, Grace Chan, Ayman Shahriar, Karolina Krišandová, Hanhan Qi, Parastoo Hosseini are Immigrant Services Calgary’s Volunteers of the Month!
Peter was born in Bonn, Germany and studied architecture in the city of Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. After working for more than seven years as a registered architect in Germany, he decided to expand his professional experience internationally. In 2006 Peter moved to Calgary and started working at Riddell Kurczaba Architecture.
Lina was born and raised in Curacao, the beautiful island of the Caribbean. She moved to Canada along with her husband in the summer of 2014. She is a Software Engineer with more than six years of international experience, who enjoys spending the spare time hiking, reading, and cooking.