Author Archive

One thing our program has observed over the past few years is that engineers are a busy group of people. Luckily for us, we have engaged a core group of local engineers as volunteer mentors, many of whom have taken on multiple mentorships at our program, and who spread the word about Mentoring Connections to their colleagues. Long-time mentor and Professional Advisory Committee member Carlos Perez did just that, and last Tuesday our program welcomed Carlos and members of his CH2M Hill team to our office for an Industry Insights event for our engineer mentees. [Continue]

Karim Makalai has been a career mentor with ISSofBC’s Mentoring Connections program since January 2010. Originally from Uganda, Karim and his family came to Vancouver as refugees in 1973. In honour of the 60th anniversary of the Refugee Convention, Karim kindly shares his story with us... [Continue]

Since teaching in the public school system is a regulated profession, it is only natural that many of our teacher-mentees have questions about the certification process in BC. To better serve these mentees, I attended the BC College of Teachers’ (BCCT) weekly info session last Tuesday, with the hope of picking up some tips. With the exception of myself, the room was full of immigrant teachers from all over the world. Because of this, I was able to gain some valuable info that I’ll share with you, here. [Continue]

"I think everyone who is coming to Canada needs to be given a chance to put their skills to use so the country can develop. I feel good now that I have my professional job. I feel now that I’m somebody; I can pursue my career...I am very thankful to this program, my mentor and the staff." [Continue]

"Personally, I believe the main gaps are a lack of understanding of Canada-specific communication styles, the Canadian taxation system, as well as the industries that are unique in Canada," says Vishwa. Vishwa Mootooveeren obtained his MBA, majoring in Finance from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. He also holds Diplomas in HR and Export Management and is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) from Canada. [Continue]

On November 9th, Mentoring Connections welcomed eight members of PricewaterhouseCoopers' HR team to co-host a Mentoring Day with our mentees. To start the morning off, PwC hosted panel discussions about Recruitment & Selection and Workplace Culture & Career Development. In the afternoon, the PwC team broke off into individual mentoring sessions with our mentees. Here are some highlights... [Continue]

Lokesh Chaudhry is an integral part of Ernst & Young's Tax Services practice, acting as both a partner in the Vancouver office and Western Canada's Fixed Asset Analysis Leader. Over the past two years, Lokesh has spent countless hours volunteering as a Mentoring Connections mentor. In Lokesh's own words... [Continue]

Pooja Ruprell has been a Mentoring Connections mentor since December 2009. Since she arrived in Canada in 2006, Pooja has built a successful career in Canada in management and client relationships. In Pooja's own words... [Continue]

Jason Min has been a Mentoring Connections mentor since March 2010 and has also been a Friendship Host volunteer with ISSofBC for several years. Jason graduated in pharmacy from UBC and is currently completing a post-graduate pharmacy residency. In Jason's own words... [Continue]

While flipping through Teacher Magazine, the monthly publication from the BC Teachers’ Federation, I learned of World Teachers’ Day, celebrated in over 100 countries every October 5. It seems only fitting that a program like ours, whose goal it is to help mentors and mentees grow professionally and personally, finds special meaning in World Teachers’ Day. Each day this week, we’ll turn the idea of mentor-mentee on its head, and explore the many valuable things new immigrants have taught local professionals at our program. [Continue]