LIMITLESS 2024: Imagining Brighter Futures

Sirish Rao is the Director of Public Engagement and Learning at Vancouver Art Gallery. Before that, he spent a decade as Director of Tara Books, one of India’s most awarded publishing houses. 

Sirish is the recipient of an Extraordinary Achievement Award (Darpan) and a Lifetime Achievement Award (Hari Sharma Foundation) and has been named “One of 20 Most Influential South Asians in Vancouver” (Urban Asian). His organization, the Indian Summer Festival, was recently awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Arts and Music Award for Visual Arts. 

Currently, he serves on the boards and advisory councils of several major organizations including the Vancouver Foundation, the Vancouver International Film Festival, Simon Fraser University’s India Advisory Council and the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC.

Join Nicole and Emma from the Talent Acquisition team at VCH to learn about:  

• About Vancouver Coastal Health 

• Career Opportunities 

• Health Career Access Program (HCAP) 

• What VCH Offers 

• How to Apply 

In this session, attendees will learn essential strategies for networking effectively and building a compelling personal brand to drive career success. Through practical tips, real-world examples, and interactive discussions, participants will gain the confidence and tools needed to expand their professional network, amplify their online presence, and differentiate themselves in today’s competitive job market. Whether new to networking or looking to refine their personal brand, attendees will leave empowered with actionable insights to take their careers to the next level. 

In this session you will be participating in an interactive workshop session run by Coop Developers at Solid State Community Industries about cooperatives as an equitable alternative to the regular capitalist/corporate form of businesses where workers are constantly exploited for their labour. Solid State Community Industries is currently supporting 20 successful and active cooperatives with many more on the way, led by racialized and immigrant people in various industries such as cleaning, mental health, media, art, city planning, and event planning. Come join us and learn how you and like-minded peers can start your own cooperatives!

Dr. Bruce Miller has been a professor at UBC since 1990, researching Indigenous peoples and their relations with the state in its various local, national, and international manifestations. He has served as an expert witness in Indigenous litigation in the United States and Canada, including, United States v Washington (a treaty case) and, the Radek case before the BC Human Rights Tribunal, (a precedent-setting case regarding Aboriginal presence in public spaces and racial profiling). He is also a member of the board of the Museum of Vancouver and chair of the collections committee, which has initiated a progressive program of repatriation to First Nations. In this session he will provide an engaging overview of: 

• Current court challenges regarding indigenous lands and rights in BC   

• Legal cases in BC: impacts and possibilities for the future  

• Repatriations of artifacts: he will share stories from the repatriation process for many Indigenous artefacts, following Salish Law protocols 

Mona Kwong, BSc(Pharm), PharmD, MSc

Dr. Mona Kwong is a community based pharmacist. She received her Bachelor’s of Pharmacy and her Master’s of Science in Pharmacy (focus on Pharmaceutics/Biopharmaceutics) degrees from UBC and her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Florida.

She enjoys enhancing the quality of patient care, promoting collaborative inter-professional teams, and is passionate in education (patients and peers) and mentorship of junior healthcare professionals and students.

Mona’s main area of work is in substance use care. She actively works with and engages in with many different individuals, persons with lived experiences and organizations/stakeholders/agencies to help shape health policies and decisions for safer care in this area.

Currently Mona is the Pharmacy Advisor and Director for the Pharmacy Stream of the Interdisciplinary Addictions Fellowship Program for BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU), clinical pharmacist consultant at Infinity Medical Specialists Clinic, and is the manager of an independent pharmacy with a focus on mental health, HIV, substance use care, frail elderly, and chronic diseases.

Clair Goth has worked as a Nurse for 14 years in a variety of healthcare settings. Including hospitals, care homes, community health, palliative care and right here at Columbia College. Nursing has given her purpose, a sense of identity and an amazing opportunity to contribute to her community.

“I look forward to sharing my experiences with you and telling you more about the healthcare industry and how Nurses operate within it” – Clair.

Reconciliation and plays a vital role in shaping Canada’s future. As you are settling into Canada, you can contribute a lot towards reconciliation and building an equitable and inclusive future for everyone. Join us on a journey of self-discovery and self-reflection in this transformative workshop, led by educator and facilitator Charlene Seward. This workshop will discuss some action plans  on how to create a meaningful impact on Reconciliation and a deeper relationship with the Indigenous communities.

Charlene Seward is a proud member of the Squamish Nation with close family ties to the Snuneymuxw Nation. She brings a decade of experience in Indigenous engagement and reconciliation-focused work, with a passion for developing meaningful relationships that support change at multiple levels. Charlene has worked with government agencies, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and corporations across the country, building capacity for tangible change.