From Nursing to Volunteering and Back Again

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed an oncology nurse into becoming a major community builder, breaking down barriers to create wider access to food, resources, and health services for vulnerable Calgarians.

Videography by Haley Martin

Gabriella Wong Ken, BN’19, graduated motivated and excited to begin her career as a nurse. Little did she, or any of us, know a global pandemic was looming. Although proud of the part she was playing to support her city, the long shifts, the physical and emotional demands of the job, and isolation from her loved ones was beginning to impact her deeply. Desperately seeking change and connection, but still wanting to give back to her community, Wong Ken turned to volunteering. Today, she is a major community-builder advocating for community health and breaking down barriers for vulnerable people to seek access to basic needs.

EXTRA CREDIT

Want to learn more about how you can make change in your community? Explore the programs Gabriella Wong Ken is involved with:

You May Also Like
Read More

All You Can’t Eat

Certainly, there’s more than enough food in the world to feed us all — but ensuring nobody goes hungry takes strategic vision, compassion and an appetite to upend the status quo
School children, students walking into a school building.
Read More

Keeping Diet Culture Out of the Classroom

Diet culture is returning with a vengeance. Or maybe it never went away. A team of researchers say making classrooms “weight-neutral” zones could dramatically improve the physical and mental health of kids and teens.
Read More

The Art of the Nudge

Changing social norms to advance gender equity within traditionally male-dominated workplaces is a tall order. A collaborative pilot program between the Calgary Police Service and UCalgary’s Faculty of Social Work proves the power of a “nudge” approach.