Meet Our Team
The Pathy Foundation Fellowship benefits from the knowledge, passion, creativity, and commitment to social change of many different people and communities. Keep reading to learn more about the robust network that makes the Pathy Foundation Fellowship possible.
Pathy Foundation Fellowship Team
The core Program Team is made up entirely of former Fellows. This Alumnx-led model fosters deep empathy, peer connection, and authentic leadership. By empowering those shaped by the program to shape its future, the Fellowship remains youth-driven, values-aligned, and uniquely impactful.
Gabriela Gomez
Having completed her Fellowship year as a member of the 2017-2018 cohort, Gabriela returned to the program as the Leadership Coach in 2025. With a Master’s in Educational Psychology from McGill University and certification as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Gabriela brings a compassionate, body-centered approach to her work. Gabriela has deep experience supporting youth, emerging adults, and 2SLGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities, with a focus on trauma-informed practice, identity, and creative self-expression. Her practice blends action-focused coaching and somatic techniques to help individuals reconnect with their inner resources and potential.
“The Fellowship gave me the space to nurture the unknown. I learned to cultivate my inner vision and wisdom for the change I want to instigate in the world.”
Aubrey Apps
Aubrey Apps supports program access for youth leaders across Canada as the Outreach and Operations Coordinator for the Pathy Foundation Fellowship. Aubrey joined the Fellowship in 2023-2024 as a Fellow of Cohort 8 where she developed her initiative, Youth for Consent Culture, leading youth-driven programming to prevent violence in sports. Now working with the Fellowship, Aubrey leads logistics coordination, promotional content development, and support for candidates as they develop their applications and initiatives.
“The Fellowship allowed me the space to gain a better understanding of myself, and was the most impactful experience of my life. The Fellowship community supported me to develop lasting relationships and refined leadership.”
Jessica Franko
Jessica Franko is a community educator and strategist whose journey with the Pathy Fellowship began in 2019 as a Fellow. Now Program Director, she champions the Fellowship’s youth-led model, driving strategic expansion, partnerships, and robust programming. With a Master’s in Adult Education and Community Development, and global experience across Canada, Botswana, China, and beyond, Jessica’s pedagogical and programmatic approach centers on participatory design, local wisdom, experiential learning, and transformative leadership. Her work in the Fellowship involves curriculum development, Fellow-focused support, and national stewardship and growth of the program.
“The Pathy Fellowship ecosystem provides much needed hope and inspiration for our collective visioning of a more just, equitable, and abundant world. I am grateful, not only to have been a Pathy Fellow, but to continue to be a part of this community.”
Courtney Murdoch
Courtney completed her Fellowship as a member of the 2021-22 cohort before joining the Fellowship team in a marketing, logistics, and candidate support capacity. With a keen interest in gender equity and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) justice, she completed her Master’s degree at McGill University in 2025 with a research focus on the lived impacts of inadequate SRHR education in Quebec youth. Her work with the Fellowship involves stewarding Alumnx engagement, impact measurement and reporting, strategic relationships, and major event management.
“The Fellowship provided an opportunity for the most profound growth I’ve ever experienced in such a short time frame. This experience, and my time with the program since being a Fellow, fast-tracked my development as an individual, professional, and change-maker.”
Pathy Family Foundation Team
The Pathy Family Foundation works to advance the dignity, rights, and empowerment of people living in poverty and marginalization in Canada and globally. We believe in excellence, in collaboration and partnerships, and in supporting the leadership of communities and their organizations in their pursuit of positive social change. To learn more about the Pathy Family Foundation team, please visit our website.
Pathy Fellowship Mentors
Pathy Fellowship Mentors are knowledgeable practitioners who support Pathy Fellows by offering mentorship, subject matter expertise, and guidance throughout their Fellowship year. Each Fellow is paired with two Mentors who support them as they navigate challenges, refine ideas, and build confidence in their initiatives and their professional direction through meaningful, engaged relationships.
Pathy Fellowship Alumnx Council
The Alumnx Council fosters connection and engagement across the Pathy Fellowship network by leading gatherings, supporting candidates and Fellows, and contributing to ongoing initiatives. Council members shape the scope of their work, offering ideas and leadership to strengthen the Alumnx community throughout their one-year volunteer term.
Jessica Jaja
Jessica Jaja is a Pathy Fellow from Cohort 1 and a community development leader based in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, with a Master’s in Geography and Environmental Sustainability from the University of Ottawa. Her work spans women’s economic empowerment, creative industries, and disaster recovery. She led post-Hurricane Beryl efforts in Union Island with Sol Relief and now advises We Are Mayreau Inc. on strategy and women’s entrepreneurship. As Founding General Manager of Bequia Threadworks, she built a social enterprise supporting 17 women. Jessica also co-founded The Hub Collective, where she continues to lead arts, wellness, and environmental programs rooted in community engagement.
Sophie McCafferty
Sophie McCafferty is a small-scale farmer living her life inspired by nature, the people she loves, and her community. She is a settler in so-called Canada, living on the unceded territory of the Kanien‘kehà:ka people. She currently spends her days at the Hudson Heartbeet Community Farm and Hudson Forest Play where she is delighted to connect with the community she grew up with. During her Pathy Fellowship as a member of Cohort 8, she worked with the Tingathe women’s goat cooperative in Chilanga, Malawi, where they explored the potentials of livestock grazing for social empowerment.
Coady Institute
Coady Institute is the education partner of the Pathy Foundation Fellowship, supporting delivery of curriculum content during Foundations for Community Change each year. In collaboration with partners in Canada and across the globe, the Institute is committed to reducing poverty and transforming societies by strengthening local economies, by building resilient communities, and by promoting social accountability and good governance. For a list of Coady Institute staff who contribute to the Fellowship’s facilitation and on-campus educational programming, please visit their website.