Tala Barzkar
Becoming Tala
“You are no longer my daughter.” Tala Barzkar can still feel the sting of her father’s final words, spoken just before he cut her out of his life. She remembers him tearing a photograph of the two of them in…
Posts by P Sharma
Danna Florendo
A mothers love
Danna Florendo is one of those rare people, who, upon first meeting, you can instantly feel her kindness. The warmth she emits to all those around her, is what makes her a loving and supportive mom and now, an incredible…
Serena Michajluk
Feel the fear. Do it anyway.
Watch Serena Michajluk confidently walk into a room, and you’d never imagine that her “past self” was a mere shadow of the person she is today. At 44 years old, Serena has finally found fulfillment in her career and her…
Taylor Mccarthy
How Taylor’s stars aligned
At just 21 years old, Taylor McCarthy is proud of her career as a Licensed Optician in Red Deer, Alberta. She works closely with her mentor and boss, Philip Ripley, an experienced Licensed Optician with over four decades of experience.…
Ashley Singh
Finding success in self discovery
In 2020, when the pandemic swept across the globe, our familiar world underwent an unfamiliar transformation. Schools and businesses transitioned online, shops were closed, and the public found themselves with an unexpected amount of personal time. Many used this time…
Gabriel Visentin
An eye for success
Meet Gabriel Visentin, the 2022 Optician Student of the Year and our 2nd runner-up! Gabriel grew up in Lethbridge, Alberta. At the age of 14, he decided he was looking for more opportunities, and relocated to Toronto for boarding school.…
Rachel Howey
Art and soul
When it comes to first jobs, everyone must start somewhere. For most of us, it’s working part-time at a fast-food restaurant or a busy clothing store. For 19-year-old Rachel H, it’s helping the hospital run smoothly as a Hospital Clerk.…
We’re not in Wisconsin anymore, Fatima
Fatima moved to Canada from Wisconsin with her partner in the middle of COVID-19. She decided to implement her natural creativity into a career in marketing “I always loved doing art projects. I loved the creative process of creating something…
