Finalist Miss Canada 2021
Rabiah D
Hello,
Born to hard-working immigrants who came to Canada to escape religious persecution, I like to think of myself as a cycle breaker. My experiences as a neurodivergent Punjabi-Sikh woman with a disability have shaped the lens through which I view and navigate life. I am proud to be breaking barriers and generational cycles by taking part in this year’s competition. As a survivor of suicide, I am a committed mental health activist and lend my voice to champion awareness and education. I am passionate about disability justice and creating a culture of accessibility that is safe for marginalized groups. In my role as a Mental Health Ambassador with BC Children’s Hospital, I worked with community leaders and
elders to create a wellness guide inclusive of the diverse cultures in my province.
My voice has taken me to our nation’s capital, where I spoke to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and served as a Jr. Team Canada Ambassador. I worked alongside Members of Parliament and philanthropists to find sustainable solutions to global issues of importance such as mental health and climate change. I am a strong advocate for mental health policy reform and have testified nationally to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance to introduce a Mental Health Parity Act. This would end the disparity between mental and physical health as well as increase federal mental health funding. I’ve also represented Canada internationally when I was selected to be the face of German World Cup Winner and professional soccer player Mesut Özil’s #YourStoryOurVoice global mental health campaign, which was viewed by over 80 million people.
I am the Founder, and Director of the Voices For Hope Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides those with mental health and addictions struggles a safe space to share their experiences in an effort to empower and equip communities with the resources and tools for healthy healing. I am currently working on integrating sensory technologies into schools by creating “sensory hubs” which serve as decompression spaces for neurodiverse students experiencing sensory overload, such as students with autism spectrum disorder. I’ve also created a grant program to make therapy more financially accessible for BIPOC and LGBTQ2IA+ members of the community. Most recently, I’ve led COVID-19 relief projects in
partnership with Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, after receiving a prestigious grant from His Royal Highness. I was honoured to donate over 1000 care package items and meals to my local hospital to promote wellness and self-care for those risking their lives on the frontlines.
Passionate about STEM and medicine, I am currently a student at the University of British Columbia where I am pursuing a degree in Cell Biology. I am a Terry Fox National Scholar and a recipient of the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award, a scholarship valued at $28,000. I plan to attend medical school to pursue a career in neurosurgery and work with Doctors without Borders in impoverished regions of the world in an effort to make healthcare more equitable and accessible for all. I have worked as a brain health and geriatric medicine researcher as well as a neurotechnology developer with the Surrey Memorial Hospital Neurotech Lab, where I helped develop an electronic tool that aids in the early prevention of frailty in seniors.
I am dedicated to transforming communities through innovation and courage. I serve as an educational mentor to young women. By sharing my challenges with adversity as a racialized woman in a STEM program, I help guide students on coping with mental health difficulties. I have collaborated with various charities such as the Canadian Cancer Society, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada and received over $100,000 in funding for humanitarian initiatives. As former Vice President of the One Blood for Life Foundation, I led the recruitment of 1,410 new stem cell registrants, 3,350 blood donors and an activation of 542 volunteers. I’ve also been involved with Surrey Memorial Hospital’s Medical Behavioural Unit for patients with neurocognitive disorders such as Dementia and Alzheimer’s. I created a documentary highlighting the unit’s need for financial aid and medical equipment, which won the Big Miracles Fund of $70,000.
I have received national and international recognition for my work and have been published in the National Post and one of Canada’s largest fashion magazines: FASHION Canada. I am a 2020 L’Oreal Paris Women of Worth and was one of ten women across Canada to receive a total of $110,000 in charitable grants from L’Oréal Paris. Most recently, I was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women and Youth Volunteer of the Year for 2020. As Miss Canada, my platform will allow me to reach people in all corners of the nation. I will use this privilege to further my humanitarian work in the mental health sector and uplift marginalized voices through a heart of service.