The Pathy Foundation Fellowship is pleased to announce that for the first time, a designated Pathy Alumnx position will be added to the program’s Selection Committee. Daniela Gallardo (Cohort 6, 2021-22) will become the eighth member of this year’s Selection Committee and will contribute to interviewing, evaluating, and deliberating which candidates will form Cohort 9 of the Pathy Foundation Fellowship. Alumnx representation on the Selection Committee is an important step for the Fellowship to continue honouring Alumnx expertise in a meaningful way that contributes to the future growth and youth-led principles of the program.
Daniela Gallardo during her time as a Pathy Fellow.
Daniela began her Fellowship journey after completing her studies at University of Ottawa with a major in Linguistics and a Minor in Life Science. Daniela identified a gap in services for newcomers when it came to developing computer skills, and this formed the basis of her Pathy Foundation Fellowship initiative. In partnership with the Multicultural Association of the Grater Moncton Area (MAGMA), she implemented weekly mentorship workshops within newcomer language classes to enhance language learning and develop technological literacy skills in a collaborative, community-led learning environment.
Since completing her Pathy Fellowship year in May of 2022, Daniela has embarked on many new educational and professional endeavors. Coming out of the Fellowship, she began her Masters of Global Health at McMaster University where she had the opportunity to study in the Netherlands, attend a global health symposium in India, and work with the Sax Institute in Australia as a Queen Elizabeth Scholar in Strengthening Health and Social Systems. Following the completion of her degree, Daniela moved to Halifax where she began an internship with the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub.
Now over a year and a half after the Pathy Foundation Fellowship, Daniela has seen the real-world impact of her learning from the Fellowship.
“Our Fellowship was a completely self-directed project. We were the ones who created our priorities, our goals, and our outcomes, but we were also evaluating them,” Daniela says. “We had to learn to be comfortable when those goals and priorities shifted. It’s definitely made me more confident in setting goals and in my abilities.”
In navigating the early years of her career, Daniela has seen that autonomy is a highly sought after quality for employers, and she credits her Fellowship experience with preparing her to thrive in that environment.
As she prepares to step into her role as a Selection Committee member, Daniela looks forward to reading applications, understanding the innovative ideas and initiatives that are being put forward this year, and getting to get to know the shortlisted candidates.
I think of my time in the Fellowship as such a unique and special year of my life… It’s an opportunity to test your character and your abilities. Now being on the other side of it, I want to reach out to people and open that door for them the way it was opened for me.
Daniela recommends that candidates show up confidently and authentically as the Selection Committee is aiming to get to know the person as well as their project and chosen communities. Reflecting on her own Selection process, she adds:
“Be excited to share a space with like-minded people who are also doing amazing things and see them as new potential friends that will be a part of your lives for many years to come. If you have that spark of curiosity and desire to have an impact, I think you’re on the right track. Just let that speak for you during the process.”
Are you a student from uOttawa, McGill, Carleton, StFX, Bishop’s, or Queen’s University? You may be eligible to apply.
To learn more about the Pathy Foundation Fellowship, visit pathyfellowship.com