SOUTH ASIAN WOMEN

Breaking Barriers and Going Places

By Monica Sethi

Darpan Magazine’s March-April issue has become synonymous with the spirit of International Women’s Day. In the year 2020, the magazine decided to bring to the fore South Asian women living in British Columbia who have found their purpose and voice and are willing to share their stories to inspire others in the community.

Keeping up with the tradition, this issue marks the fourth year as DARPAN celebrates the achievements of seven women steering clear of stereotypes and forging their own paths. While each comes from a different professional background, they are all resilient, hardworking and fully committed to their calling in life. Meet this year’s achievers whose journeys have only made them stronger, even unstoppable.

Being a woman means showing up with compassion and empathy and being strong while you’re doing it. There’s something about female power that’s different. It comes from another place, and it’s still powerful.”

NIKI SHARMA Attorney General of British Columbia

n December 7th, 2022, Niki Sharma was appointed the Attorney General of British Columbia, the first woman of colour to hold this position across provinces in Canada. As someone who has been a part of the justice system for almost two decades, she understands it can work for or against the people. The realization drives her to show up to work filled with gratitude and ready to make a positive change.

As Attorney General, Niki’s core mandate focuses on ensuring the justice system functions equitably and fairly. She is also part of the Indigenous Justice Strategy, which works towards making the justice system fairer and better for the indigenous people. “We’re working on reducing the system’s impact on the indigenous people. It’s something significant, though it will take years; having worked in this field, I find it extremely fulfilling,” she says.

While growing up in a small town in British Columbia, Sparwood, Niki never imagined herself in such a role. She attended Queen’s University in Toronto, studying environmental biology, only to realize she didn’t have a passion for it. So, she took a year off and went to Ecuador, where she tried different projects until she realized she wanted to pursue a law degree. Upon graduating from law school in 2005, Niki worked with a firm focused on indigenous people. She distinctly remembers that it was the time when residential school claims were first coming to the court and survivors were coming forward to sue the government. “Working with the residential school survivors taught me so much about resilience, grace, human spirit, and overcoming adversity,” she recalls. These experiences are a constant reminder of the work she must do to reconcile the indigenous people and their histories.

As someone who always followed her passion, practicing law made her realize that she wanted to work on changing the systems; being in the government gives her an avenue to do that. Niki pivoted into politics when working with Minister Katrina Chen, one of her role models, on a universal childcare plan. “There is a big power in sisterhood, finding that real person who can understand your struggle and give you that perspective and support which makes you feel you can do it,” she says.

In the future, she wants to continue doing her best at her job. She also intends to keep breaking barriers and going places where no one like her has been.

What does being a woman mean to you?

Being a woman means showing up with compassion and empathy and being strong while you’re doing it. There’s something about female power that’s different. It comes from another place, and it’s still powerful.

What has been your most significant achievement?

Becoming the first woman of colour as Attorney General in the provinces. In the legislature, there’s a wall of all the attorney generals in the history of British Columbia, and it starts with these blackand-white pictures of Caucasian men and goes all the way. I walk past it thinking of all the people who have been in this position before me, all the decisions they made, and how different it is for me to be here.

What or who inspires you to do better each day?

I’m constantly inspired – I have daily meetings with people doing extraordinary things in the community. My job is to help them because it will benefit the province. Also, surrounding yourself with people who have that energy, who have that passion, is so important.

What is your advice to women who wish to follow your path?

You have to understand whatever you do in life – there’ll be times when you’ll get knocked down, and you’ll feel like, is this for me, especially when you’re breaking barriers, showing up in spaces where no one like you has been. There’ll be people who’ll doubt your abilities and times when you have to assert yourself. My advice is to surround yourself with people who know and love you; keep them around so you can talk to them, and don’t give up. You have to believe in yourself, that you are capable and supposed to be here. Stay committed and stay on track.

What’s your success mantra?

I don’t have one, but I’m always thinking about how to do my best with the role and responsibilities I have been given. Every day I wake up wondering how I can be really good at my job.

Officer

Being a woman means being strong and standing up for others and yourself. Women can achieve any goals they wish to pursue. Dreams and careers are not gender specific, and know that nothing can stand in your way if you are driven and determined to succeed.” rowing up in Squamish, BC, Wendy Mehat always admired police officers and aspired to become one someday. It was almost surreal for her to leave Squamish to go to Regina, Saskatchewan, to train when she decided to join RCMP at 20. At the time, she never imagined that one day she’d become the Officer in Charge of the community. In fact, for the longest time, she was happy to serve as the patrol constable until she realized that she wanted to achieve more and have a much more significant impact on the community.

As Officer in Charge, Wendy oversees policing, police response, community welfare initiatives, human resources, and more in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows cities. Amidst all this, she prioritizes the mental and physical well-being of her police officers, who see so much trauma all around them. At the same time, she feels strongly about supporting youth in the community, particularly those undergoing mental health issues. “After serving in the RCMP for almost 23 years, I’ve understood that the issue of mental health, drug abuse, and homelessness are all intertwined. You cannot formulate responses for one without tackling the others,” she says.

Wendy has previously been part of several policing projects and specialized teams focused on dealing with the Opioid crisis. For instance, during her stint with Surrey RCMP, she worked on several community-facing initiatives that helped businesses, residents, and commuters feel safer. At the same time, Wendy supported those experiencing mental health concerns, addictions, and homelessness within the City of Surrey. For RCMP officers, she created a police mental health and recreation team, which included a mental health liaison officer and a nurse on board that supported those experiencing mental health issues. She also led a program termed “Project Lavender,” which helped female youth make positive lifestyle choices, engage in healthy relationships, and build a strong sense of self-worth. It also educated and built awareness around sexual exploitation and drug/ alcohol abuse.

These experiences helped her meet some incredible people along the way. It also made her empathize with vulnerable communities and formulate more empathetic solutions to their problems. Wendy advises those inspired by her journey to always set realistic goals and follow through with them. At this point, she’s grateful to be working in her dream job and having an incredibly supportive family. “I’m so thankful to my husband and two daughters who have supported me through odd shifts, promotions, and times when I couldn’t be there for their birthdays and Christmases,” she says.

What does being a woman mean to you?

Being a woman means being strong and standing up for others and yourself. Women can achieve any goals they wish to pursue. Dreams and careers are not gender specific, and know that nothing can stand in your way if you are driven and determined to succeed.

What has been your most significant achievement?

While working at the Surrey RCMP, I was inspired to build a program to help young women make positive life choices and engage in healthy relationships. Another professional highlight was engaging with residents and businesses during the opioid crisis. Also, I’m proud of achieving my recent career goal of becoming an Officer in Charge.

What or who inspires you to do better each day?

My two daughters, husband and extended family, inspire me. They helped me find a balance to work on the front lines in a job I loved. It meant supporting me through career assignments that didn’t have typical “9 to 5” work hours. Also, the young men and women who work in my police department inspire me every day. I am humbled to call them ‘my team.’ They are selfless and hardworking, and without their support, I would not be able to achieve the career successes I have today.

What is your advice to women who wish to follow your path?

Set realistic goals. Start small and graduate to more significant projects and tasks as you build self-confidence. It will help ensure you are not discouraged and ready to quit. And most importantly, be prepared to get out of your comfort zone and take on some challenges and risks along the way. Whenever you do what you thought was ‘unthinkable or unachievable,’ you will be so proud of yourself and inspired to go further.

What’s your success mantra?

Pay it forward by helping others along the way - mentor, coach, and support future leaders and women. And remember to be humble and kind to others along the way. Also, remember that it is okay to make mistakes but learn from them and that every successful person has faced rejection at some point in their life.

To me, being a woman is about engaging with compassion, integrity and strength in all facets of our lives; for me, that’s as a mother, daughter, wife, sister, leader and friend.”

KAM RAMAN Vice President, Group Advantage at RBC

nown for her ability to engage diverse teams, Kam Raman has been growing her career in the financial services industry over the past 20 years and has embraced the importance and value of life-long learning.

Throughout her career, she has been recognized for her business acumen, communication, collaboration, and leadership abilities. But while these are significant achievements and accomplishments, Kam’s more profound reward stems from her ability and commitment to fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion for clients, employees, and the community. As a wife and mother of two boys, Kam has always role-modelled a solid moral compass at work and within her home, with strong personal values and ethics that both her children and her peers admire. Her mantra is surprisingly simple: “Surround yourself with good people that motivate you to be better.” She will be the first to acknowledge that she has benefited from both the time and wisdom of mentors throughout her career and has been fortunate that these guides have afforded her the opportunity and space to learn and thrive.

Kam has experienced first-hand the value of nurturing authentic relationships, where you can grow in a safe environment that allows you to pivot and occasionally skin your knee; in doing so, embracing and reflecting on the lessons learned.

From her perspective, the most important gift women can provide other female colleagues and emerging talent is to offer them safe spaces to learn, grow and challenge themselves. When looking back on her career, Kam treasures the advice and guidance she received from trusted advisors who have been invaluable stewards and sound posts throughout her career. Some of her greatest learning moments have come from receiving feedback that may have been difficult to hear at the time but invaluable to her growth moving forward. and inspire action about creating spaces and fostering practices that uplift and support our employees. mentoring have been invaluable on my journey.

Never one to sit still, Kam has been an active member of her community, continually seeking ways to give back and uplift others.

Despite the countless hours she invests in various organizations and boards, she firmly believes that personal reward and satisfaction come from serving others and contributing to the greater good of society. This is why she serves on the boards of BGC Canada and DIVERSEcity, as both organizations focus on areas close to her heart – providing opportunities to children & youth and new Canadians.

What does being a woman mean to you?

To me, being a woman is about engaging with compassion, integrity and strength in all facets of our lives; for me, that’s as a mother, daughter, wife, sister, leader and friend.

Q Q

What has been your most significant achievement?

I’m proud of my educational journey, which I completed while my husband and I raised our two sons. Completing an MBA was a pivotal point in my career that paved the way for more senior roles. Professionally, I was RBC’s first Director of Diversity and Inclusion in British Columbia, where I had the opportunity to accelerate and deepen our journey. This role proved instrumental in driving a culture of inclusion as we invested in learning how we could raise awareness

Q Q Q

What or who inspires you to do better each day?

My family. My parents have always been my heroes – their resilience in moving to a different country and re-establishing themselves makes me question the complexity of what I might see as significant challenges. I want my sons to know they can do anything they set their minds to –they inspire me to be the best role model.

What is your advice to women who wish to follow your path?

Work hard, build a strong network, discover how to help others and invest time into mentorship. My personal growth and learning from both being mentored and

What’s your success mantra?

Immerse your heart and mind into what’s important to you while staying true to your values. Build strong and trusting relationships that you can lean on during challenging times. Be that same support for others and spend time with those who inspire you to be better.

Being a woman means being responsible and juggling different roles at work and home. Having been surrounded by strong women while growing up, I have never forgotten their impact on my life. I’ve learnt that there are no limitations— nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it.”