Six community members have been honoured at the YWCA St. John’s Circle of Distinction Awards.
The awards, formerly known as the Women of Distinction Awards, honour women and gender diverse people for their achievements. They took place yesterday morning at Emera Innovation Exchange.
This marks the first time the awards have been held since 2020, with 25 nominees vying for the distinction.
Jude Cutler Benoit and Raven Khadeja Anderson took home the Social Justice and Advocacy award, while CEO Jacqueline Lee of PolyUnity Tech Inc. received the Equity at Work award.
Marian Frances White
The Inspired Innovation award given to artist Santiago Guzmán, while the Lifetime Achievement award recognized author and filmmaker Marian Frances White.
Radhika Verma took home the Trailblazer Award for her work championing women in STEM through pharmacy, and provides naloxone training with the Opioid Awareness Initiative. She says there are still challenges getting women involved in STEM fields.
She says one of the biggest challenges is believing in yourself. She says sometimes all it takes is a little bit of encouragement, but everything is possible.
