Meet the final 10 Future 40 winners of 2018
CBC is celebrating 40 people under age 40 who are making Saskatchewan's future brighter
Here's CBC Saskatchewan's final batch of 2018 Future 40 winners. Each year, we celebrate 40 Sask. people under age 40 who are making Saskatchewan's future brighter with their exceptional work.
This year we received so many amazing nominations from you. The final 40 were announced in batches of 10, from Monday, Nov. 12 to Thursday, Nov. 15.
Meet some of this year's winners at the 2018 CBC Saskatchewan Future 40 Gala:
Thanks to everyone who took the time to nominate someone amazing. Congratulations to all of the winners!
- Meet your first 10 Future 40 winners of 2018
- Meet 10 more Future 40 winners of 2018
- Meet 2018's third batch of 10 Future 40 winners
The submissions below are written by the nominators.
Krystle Pederson
Krystle is a Cree/Métis singer, dancer, actor and musician with an outstanding career.
Born with the gift of music, Krystle started performing at a very young age. She has an impressive acting resume including seven editions of SNTC's Rez Christmas Story series and three seasons of Sum Theatre's Theatre in the Park.
This year, Krystle toured the country with the National Arts Centre's production of the Gabriel Dumont Wild West Show. In 2019 she will tour Songs in the Key of Cree, a brand new show created specifically for Krystle by award-winning playwright Tomson Highway.
Krystle is a champion traditional jigger and takes pride in sharing her Métis culture as an interdisciplinary artist, both as a singer and dancer, at the annual John Arcand Fiddle Fest. She has worked as a Métis dance instructor with numerous schools and community groups throughout Saskatchewan. Krystle is a member of Iskwew Singers, a women's traditional hand drum group, and has performed at the Festival Yurame in Mexico and the Edmonton and Vancouver Folk Music Festivals.
She co-hosted the National Aboriginal Career Symposium in Ottawa with Dr. Evan Adams and performed at the Indspire Awards in Edmonton and represented the Métis at the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay in Saskatoon. She has mentored youth through Sum Theatre's Youth on the Rise program and the Saskatoon Public School's Indigenous Ensemble.
Her never-ending energy, creative drive and inspirational laugh make her a friend to many and an inspiration to all.
Nicholas Hennink
Nicholas Hennink is a Moose Jaw Paramedic and music artist.
He recently worked with the Saskatchewan division of Canadian Mental Health. He is currently undertaking a project for First Responders across Saskatchewan by launching #ProjectWarriors and plans to donate proceeds made from the project to OSICAN and recognition of the organizations that keep us safe.
Christine Marie
Awasis Boutique was created by Christine Marie, a Métis/Filipino Mama of two, who enjoyed sewing cute, comfy and practical items for her boys (because shopping for little boys can be hard?!).
After receiving continuous orders of custom bibs and aprons and interest from others, Christine did some research to see if there was an Indigenous baby line in Saskatchewan. To her surprise, there was no such thing. Thus, Awasis Boutique was born in Feb 2018.
Awasis means child in Cree. It is the first Indigenous-inspired baby and kids fashion line within Saskatchewan that features custom aprons, bibs, blankets and onesies. Within the onesie collection, you will find phrases in Cree and English.
By using modern and traditional elements of fashion, Christine strives to create awesomeness at Awasis.
You can find a selection of Awasis Boutique goodies at the Royal University Gift Shop, Wanuskewin Gift Shop, Silver Wolf Trading Post, Ready Set Baby, Lux Clothing in Prince Albert, The Whimsy Store at Crossmount, Batoche National Historic Park and Prescription Works Pharmacy in Big River.
Yang Chen
As a young, dedicated and enthusiastic leader, Yang Chen has been making an impact in the local community for more than 14 years in Saskatoon.
Right after he moved to Saskatoon in August 2004, he joined Folkfest as a volunteer at the Chinese Pavilion. Since then, he has been actively involved with the local communities.
He served as the youngest president of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association at the University of Saskatchewan from 2005 to 2007 and created the executive team who was responsible for all kinds of student affairs and activities.
He voluntarily offered the pick-up of new Chinese students from the airport and welcomed over 100 new students in these two years. He chaired and organized numerous large-scale student initiatives to help Chinese students settle down in Saskatoon.
In 2008, he was one of the founding members who united almost all the local Chinese Canadian organizations to work together — the Federation of Saskatoon Chinese Canadian Organizations (FSCCO). In 2012 to 2014, he was elected as the president of FSCCO and has led the largest local Chinese cultural event a number of years, which is the Chinese New Year Celebration at TCU Place with over 700 attendees.
He has also served as the pavilion manager of the Folkfest Chinese Pavilion, the president of the Saskatoon Chinese Cultural Society, a member of the Going Global Committee of Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce and the University of Saskatchewan Alumni Advisory Council.
Sara Dungavell
Dr. Sara Dungavell is a compassionate psychiatrist dedicated to improving the mental health of the most vulnerable populations in the province and building capacity within medical students to provide similar care.
Immediately after completing her psychiatry residency, Sara started working in La Loche. She was the only psychiatrist to provide in-person psychiatric care to the community after the school shooting. She expanded this practice to include La Ronge and communities within the Athabasca Health Authority that summer.
As a component of her fly-in care, she has organized regular tele-health clinics in these communities, supervises residents learning about providing psychiatry to these populations, and is developing a set of formal lectures on psychiatry to the La Ronge family medicine program.
During her first year of practice she started an LGBT friendly psychiatric clinic at OutSaskatoon. She is now the only Saskatchewan psychiatrist recognized to approve gender affirming surgery for transgender patients, which means she now has a three year wait-list at this clinic. In response, she's been advocating for expansion of recognized authorities to include family doctors and counselors, and working with medical students and residents to increase familiarity and interest in working with the LGBT community.
In addition to her Northern and LGBT clinics, Sara also provides services to young adults at the University of Saskatchewan Student Wellness Centre. Recognizing the overwhelming effect of colonialism and social determinants of health on her patients, she continues to advocate in the media for addressing the systemic marginalization of her patient populations.
Shanna Schulhauser
Shanna is currently the Director of Communications and spokesperson for the Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation and is regarded by her peers as a smart, savvy and confident leader with an expert knowledge of politics, government and strategy.
She was instrumental in the development of the Government of Saskatchewan's Plan for Growth, Liquor Retailing Options Paper and White Paper on Climate Change, and managed all communications strategy and media relations on behalf of the Government of Saskatchewan for the 2012 Pacific Northwest Economic Region Annual Summit in Saskatoon.
Shanna holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Regina and has built a rewarding and successful career with the Government of Saskatchewan. She has held communications and management positions throughout government, including the former Ministry of the Economy. Her appetite for media and politics is nothing short of insatiable, and she has provided staffing, advice and support to numerous senior federal and provincial government officials.
Shanna cares deeply about her community and has volunteered her time with the Regina Open Door Society, Regina Folk Festival, Regina Cat Rescue, United Way, International Association of Business Communicators, Canadian International Council and Skate Canada. She currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Regina-Wascana Conservative Electoral District Association and is a proud member of Equal Voice — a national, bilingual, multi-partisan organization dedicated to electing more women to all levels of political office in Canada.
Mahli Brindamour
Mahli Brindamour is a Saskatoon general pediatrician specializing in the care of refugee children.
She is the co-founder of the Refugee Engagement and Community Health (REACH), located at the Saskatoon Community Clinic. This innovative model offers a dedicated clinic for the initial assessment and support of newly arrived refugee families.
She also practices at Royal University Hospital with the Saskatoon Pediatric Consultants group and provides regular clinics in the northern communities of La Loche, Ile a-la-Crosse and Stoney Rapids and offers newborn care at the Sanctum 1.5 HIV prenatal care home.
Mahli has contributed to national guidelines for the care of refugee children, co-edited the book Upstream Medicine and has written numerous articles in the public press. She has recently presented her research on refugee care at international conferences in the United States, Mexico and Italy.
Mahli was the Saskatchewan representative for Doctors for Refugee Care, leading demonstrations that contributed to the overturning of cuts to health care for refugees. She continues to work in advocacy as the president-elect of the Global Child and Youth Health section of the Canadian Pediatric Society and the Saskatchewan Medical Association's Child Advocacy Chair.
Originally from Quebec, Mahli came to Saskatoon ten years ago for her pediatric residency and has since made Saskatchewan her home. She and her husband Ryan live in Riversdale and are the proud parents of two boys.
Cole Ramsey
Cole Ramsey proudly serves their community as an openly queer and visibly transgender teacher.
Cole works at many schools in small towns and is sometimes the first transgender person that some students (and adults) ever meet. Cole is a happy and successful role model for transgender youth who is open to answering questions and works hard to un-teach prejudices face to face every day.
In addition to their front-line work, Cole also works to effect systemic change within the school system through collaborative consultation within their division. Cole currently serves as the Gender Diversity Representative and Secretary on the Board for Moose Jaw Pride, where they organize an annual Trans Day of Remembrance service, a gender diversity committee and a refugee sponsorship committee.
As a proudly non-binary individual, Cole conducts diversity training sessions with teachers, healthcare workers and in the cultural sector, offering their life experience to help spread understanding and compassion in their community. Cole has participated in consulting work on gender diversity with the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation, Saskatchewan Government Insurance, the federal government and many others.
As a transgender athlete, Cole is an active player with Pile O' Bones Roller Derby and also sits on that organization's board of directors as secretary. As an extension of their public education work, Cole has written about their experience as a transgender athlete within derby and has hosted public information sessions on how new players can get involved.
Amanda Scandrett
Amanda Scandrett is an artist, therapist, and community organizer born and raised on Treaty 4 land, presently living in Regina.
Amanda holds a MEd in Educational Psychology, BEd in Arts Education and is currently studying Art Therapy through WHEAT Institute in Winnipeg. Amanda utilizes feminist therapy and strengths-based expressive approaches as the foundation for her work, writing, and community advocacy.
As a musician and member of Regina indie rock band Library Voices, Amanda has had the opportunity to record and perform nationally and internationally for over a decade. In her volunteer work she sits on the board of directors for SaskMusic and is co-founder of non-profit organization Girls Rock Regina (GRR), serving female-identifying, transgender, and gender nonconforming artists and their families.
Her passion for the integration of community arts and personal empowerment as well as her own experiences in the music industry inspired her to bring Girls Rock Camp programming to Regina. Amanda works with the GRR organizational crew to develop and deliver community programming for Regina Girls Rock Camp in the summer as well as various community opportunities throughout the year.
Throughout her education and professional career Amanda has been passionate about the healing journey of both herself and others and has become deeply interested in decolonizing healing within a holistic framework. She has followed her passion by weaving together various training and modalities in traditional counselling and holistic/alternative worlds to deepen her understanding of healing and resilience to inform her work in both academic and community contexts.
On this path she has received additional training in reiki, Somatic Experiencing, Trauma-Informed Expressive Arts, Focusing Oriented Psychotherapy, and Restorative Yoga. In May 2018 Amanda opened Sacred Circle Healing Arts, a business that encompasses both counselling and holistic therapies to offer individual sessions and community events.
Amanda works in the community merging her love of the arts and healing to assist others in connecting to their own innate resilience and personal empowerment. She currently develops and delivers therapeutic programming for Intimate Partner Violence, mental health, Autism, addictions, postpartum, effects of colonization, personal empowerment, gender identity & sexuality, youth & families in residential treatment programming, and complex trauma.
Chelsey Legendre
Hardworking, compassionate and driven, Chelsey Legendre has combined entrepreneurship with philanthropy to help Regina's cats in need.
At just 28 years old, Chelsey started a business that is much more than just a business. With a vision and strong determination, she has created Excalipurr Cat Café, and with it a livelihood, jobs in the community and a temporary home for Regina's rescued cats.
Chelsey worked tirelessly to create two spaces – one a modern, cozy café to serve Regina, the second an enriched environment that carefully considers the needs of the adoptable cats who live there while they wait for their forever homes.
In a city facing a cat overpopulation crisis, Chelsey plays an important role in helping rescued cats find adoptive home as a Regina Cat Rescue adoption partner. Regina Cat Rescue ensure each rescued cat is spayed/neutered, vaccinated and tattooed/micro-chipped, while Chelsey and her team at Excalipurr Cat Café provide the space and care they need.
Since Excalipurr's doors opened in December 2017, over 115 cats have found their forever homes through the café. Chelsey's collaborative spirit is also evident through the numerous craftspeople, bakers, makers and other creators who are welcomed into the space. Through arts and crafts, pop up shops, information sessions and more – the café has become a hub for activity in central Regina.
Chelsey was born and raised in Regina, and is proudly Métis.
Bright Lights
These Saskatchewan change-makers, under age 18, are CBC Saskatchewan's Bright Light winners of 2018.
Kelsie MacDougald
In 2018 Kelsie took initiative to start up a community service Facebook campaign supporting the Saskatoon SPCA. She has been collecting money, toys and other items that the SPCA needs to care for the animals in its centre.
Kelsie hopes to become a vet and started Paws 'n Claws at age 11 as her way of giving back. All the proceeds she collects go to animal shelters in Saskatoon.
This young lady is an inspiration to people young and old and is definitely one to watch.
Shakthi Senthil Kumar
Shakthi Senthil Kumar is a girl next door with a larger heart and a strong determination to stand by, for and with marginalized people. A Grade 12 student at Luther College High school, she is active in her school's improv team, plays piano and has a genuine desire to help others.
She learned about the desperate plight of homeless people in Regina from Carmichael Outreach. She quickly recognized that the need could not be addressed through individual efforts. Since August 2018 she has actively engaged her school community uniting administrative staff, teachers and students to support her initiative "Carmichael Care Project." In the past 5 weeks, she arranged weekly bake sales with home baked items generously donated by volunteers at school and raised more than $1,300.
Her second initiative demonstrates her continued efforts to conserve the environment. She collects and donates clothing items from her school's lost-and-found to Carmichael Outreach. Mobilizing support from her immediate social circle she also collects yogurt containers which are then reused to distribute food through Carmichael Outreach.
These small act of kindness unites people to support a community in need while also reducing the burden on our landfills. In a short time she has demonstrated that simple initiatives and small steps can have a subtle yet powerful ripple effect as it employs collective effort to mobilize big change.
Shakthi, which means strength in an ancient Indian language, stands tall and stands strong in her mission to advocate for vulnerable people and protect the environment.