Recognition Earned Through Service

Throughout my life and career, I have been fortunate to receive an extraordinary range of awards and honours recognizing my contributions to mental health, social work, education, volunteerism, diversity and inclusion, employment, newcomer integration, community development, humanitarian service, arts and culture, and civic leadership.

I am deeply grateful for these recognitions. However, I have never viewed awards as the purpose of my work. To me, recognition is meaningful only when it represents service that has made a difference in the lives of others.

My record of recognition is distinctive not simply because of the number of awards I have received, but because of the breadth of communities, organizations, institutions and causes represented by them. Municipalities, universities, professional associations, community organizations and provincial, national and international bodies have recognized different aspects of my work.

That diversity of recognition reflects something fundamental about who I am: I believe community service means showing up wherever people need advocacy, encouragement, opportunity and a voice.

Recognition Across Mental Health and Social Work

Mental health and well-being have been central to much of my professional and community work.

In 2026, I was recognized as one of Canada’s Top 25 Mental Health Leaders by Reach Out Together. I have also received the Distinguished Social Worker Award from the Ontario Association of Social Workers in both 2022 and 2026, the PeerWorks Lighthouse Mental Health Award, and the Wellness Mental Health Community Partner Award.

These recognitions are particularly meaningful to me as a candidate for WRDSB Trustee.

Children cannot reach their full academic potential when their emotional and psychological needs are overlooked. A child who walks into a classroom carrying anxiety, grief, isolation, family difficulties, bullying or other challenges needs adults and systems that recognize that education involves the whole child.

My professional background in social work and mental health gives me a perspective that I believe can contribute meaningfully at the Board table. I will continue advocating for schools where students feel safe, supported, heard and connected.

A Record of Inclusion, Equity and Belonging

My work has also been recognized for advancing diversity, inclusion, social justice and opportunities for people who have historically encountered barriers.

These honours include the Social Justice and Community Impact Black Diamond Award, Allyship and Solidarity Award, Cultural Diversity Civic Award from the City of Pickering, I Choose Dignity Inclusion Award, Champion of Community Diversity Award, Newcomer Champion Award, Waterloo Region Newcomer Landlord Award, and the World of Difference Award: Champion Women’s Economic Growth.

I have also been recognized for employment and economic inclusion through honours such as the Excellence in Employment Partnership Award and the Phillip Emmerson Award for Employment Excellence.

These experiences have reinforced an important principle that I would carry into my work as a trustee:

Equity is about ensuring that every student has a genuine opportunity to succeed.

Children do not all arrive at school with the same circumstances, resources, abilities or experiences. Some need additional academic assistance. Some live with disabilities. Some are newcomers learning to navigate a new country and school system. Some experience poverty or instability. Some struggle with their mental health. Others may feel that their culture, identity or experiences are not adequately understood.

Our responsibility must be to recognize those differences while maintaining high expectations for every child.

Service Recognized at the Highest Levels

I have been humbled to receive significant civic and public-service honours, including the Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship, Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award, Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, Ontario Volunteer Service Award, June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award, and the Waterloo Award—the City of Waterloo’s highest civic honour.

I have also received recognition including the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award, Waterloo Region’s Top 40 Under 40, Global Impact Voice for Change Award, Grand Achiever Award, Humanitarian Award, Global Public Peace Prize recognition, and numerous community service honours.

Each recognition represents a different chapter of one continuing story: service before self.

Leadership, to me, is not about holding a title. It is about accepting responsibility for helping others.

That is precisely the attitude I would bring to the role of WRDSB Trustee.

Education Has Been Part of My Own Journey

Education transformed my life, which is one reason I care so deeply about what happens to children in our schools.

My educational and alumni contributions have been recognized through honours including the Brock Brilliance Award, Athabasca University Alumni Volunteer Service Award, Mohawk College Alumni of Distinction Award, Brescia University’s St. Angela’s Award and Student Leadership Award, as well as my induction into the Phi Tau Chapter of the Phi Alpha Honor Society.

I understand education not simply from books or degrees, but as someone whose own life demonstrates what can happen when learning, opportunity, perseverance and community support come together.

That experience shapes my belief that we should never determine a child’s future based on where that child begins.

The student struggling today may become tomorrow’s educator, tradesperson, social worker, entrepreneur, scientist, artist, health professional or community leader.

Sometimes that potential simply needs someone to recognize it.

From Recognition to Responsibility

The awards on this page span many years and many areas of service. Collectively, they demonstrate a record of showing up, getting involved, building partnerships and working across differences.

But I am not running for WRDSB Trustee because I have received awards.

I am running because of the work behind them.

I want to bring decades of experience in mental health, social work, community development, inclusion, employment, advocacy, volunteerism and leadership to the Board table.

A trustee must be prepared to listen to students, parents, caregivers, educators and community members. A trustee must ask difficult questions, examine evidence, advocate responsibly and remember that decisions made at the Board table ultimately affect real children in real classrooms.

My record demonstrates that I have spent much of my life working with people from different backgrounds and bringing communities together.

Every Child Must Matter

Of all the accomplishments and recognitions associated with my name, there is one responsibility that would outweigh them all if I am elected:

helping create better opportunities for our children.

Every student deserves to walk through the doors of a WRDSB school knowing:

• I belong here.
• I am safe here.
• My voice matters here.
• Someone believes in me.
• I have an opportunity to succeed here.

That commitment includes the child achieving at the top of the class and the child struggling to keep up. It includes students with disabilities, newcomers, racialized students, Indigenous students, students experiencing mental health challenges, children from financially struggling families, gifted learners, students pursuing skilled trades, and young people who may still be trying to discover where they fit.

There should be no forgotten child in public education.

Bringing Community Experience to the Board Table

My awards have come from many different sectors because my work has crossed many different sectors. That experience matters.

Schools are part of communities. The challenges affecting children cannot always be separated into neat categories called “education,” “mental health,” “housing,” “poverty,” “employment,” “culture” or “family.”

They intersect.

A trustee who understands those intersections can bring an important perspective to discussions about student achievement, mental health, special education, equity, school safety, parent engagement and preparing students for life beyond graduation.

I want to help strengthen the relationship between students, families, educators, schools and the wider Waterloo Region community.

My Awards Are Not My Finish Line

I remain profoundly grateful for every organization, institution and community that has chosen to recognize my work.

But my greatest accomplishment will never be something hanging on a wall.

It will be knowing that I used my education, professional experience, community relationships and years of service to help make life better for others.

That is why my extensive record of awards and recognition represents not a finish line, but a responsibility to continue serving.

As a candidate for WRDSB Trustee, I am prepared to bring that same commitment to public education.

I want every parent and caregiver to know that their concerns deserve to be heard.

I want educators and staff to know that their work and perspectives matter.

Most importantly, I want every student to know that their future matters.

The awards tell you where I have been.

My commitment to our children tells you why I am running.

Every School. Every Family. Every Child.

My promise is simple: I will work to ensure that decisions at the Board table continually return to one fundamental question:

How will this help our students learn, belong, thrive and prepare for their future?

Because when it comes to public education, recognition is not the goal.

Our children’s success is.

Dr. Narine Dat Sookram, DSW
Candidate for WRDSB Trustee — Kitchener