The Pathy Foundation Fellowship is pleased to announce that Maggie Rodrigues (Cohort 5, 2019-2020) will hold this year’s Alumnx position on the program’s Selection Committee. This position is held annually by a past Pathy Fellow representing an important commitment to prioritizing youth perspectives, wisdom, and leadership in the annual Selection process. Maggie will join six others on this year’s Selection Committee where she will contribute to interviewing, evaluating, and deliberating on which candidates will form Cohort 11 of the Pathy Foundation Fellowship.
Upon graduating from the University of Ottawa, Maggie was seeking an avenue to continue working with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Maggie’s fellowship initiative focused on engaging high school students with disabilities through skills-based workshops, volunteer placements, and mentorship. “That transition period out of high school for people with IDD can be difficult. There’s so much support while people are in school until they are 21 and then there’s often this disconnect and that’s where social isolation starts. Through my initiative, I was trying to address that gap so that before people age out of systems, we make sure they’re connected to their communities.”
Prior to beginning the Fellowship, Maggie had developed meaningful connections across the community. Through her involvement with Best Buddies, her work with children with IDD at an overnight camp, her executive role in an organization providing adaptive swim lessons, and her service as a board member, Maggie set the foundation for impact. “I felt like so much of my university experience was grounded in what I was doing with this community. The Pathy Fellowship was exciting to me because it was one of the only opportunities that allowed me to do the type of work that I’m passionate about full-time right after graduation,” Maggie shares.
Since completing the Pathy Fellowship, Maggie has continued working in systems-level advocacy, and she is now the Government Relationship Lead for the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness. “I was really frustrated with systems excluding people. It felt like small systemic changes could make such a big impact, so which led me to become interested in government relations and advocacy,” Maggie shares.
“One of the main benefits that the Fellowship has given me is grassroots understanding of challenges. If you’re working in politics or government relations without that community-level experience, you might not fully understand the implications that policy can have for people on the ground. “Six years of work experience post Fellowship, I still feel like it was one of the most foundational experiences shaping my personal and professional development.”
As Selection approaches, Maggie can’t wait to be part of the process and to support the experience. “I believe in giving back to networks and programs that gave to me. I’m genuinely so excited to meet everyone and learn more about their initiatives,” Maggie shares. “The Pathy Fellowship was so formative in my professional and personal life, and I’m excited to continue to be a part of this work. The world is a hard place right now, especially in the area of work I’m in, but I find hope in applicants because they believe in something better for their own communities.”
In reflecting on her own Selection experience, Maggie notes, “there is no persona of a perfect Pathy Fellow. The Selection Committee will want to get to know who you are, what really excites you about your initiative, and how you show up as an extension of the community that supported you to get there.”
As she considers the advice she hopes candidates will carry with them, Maggie emphasizes that candidates are already a good portion of the way there. “You are at this phase because the Selection Committee believes in you as a leader and in your ideas. Your job now is to show up and be able to talk with humility about your initiative and ability to do this work in your community,” she advises.
Up to twelve Pathy Fellowships are offered annually. Successful candidates will join the year-long, cohort-based program, gaining access to training, funding, and integrated personal supports as they realize their impact initiatives alongside their communities.
To learn more about the Pathy Foundation Fellowship, please visit: www.PathyFellowship.com.
