Growing up in rural Alberta
When I was very young my parents moved to Drumheller, a town of 4,000 people in Alberta. The town was known for mining coal, unusual scenery and dinosaur bones. Growing up in this small town as one of the few visible minorities had its challenges. From parents that had only recently moved to Canada, understanding the culture, trying to prosper and even finding the right food in this small town was an adventure.
I spent much of my childhood in the garden, planting what were, at the time, very unusual plants to fill out our Indian vegetarian meals. Among the usual staples of onions, carrots, peas and potatoes, our family also planted chickpeas, eggplant and plenty of hot peppers. We got milk from the farm so that we could make our yoghurt, paneer and butter at home. We even constructed a mill to grind our own chickpea flour because we were unable to find it in Calgary.
I was lucky. Although there were plenty of hard times in this small town, I grew up within a community of generous people—people who, despite significant differences, were interested in our family, where we came from and how we ended up in this little town in Alberta.
10 years, 3 faculties — BSc., MSc., JD.
I spent a considerable amount of time at the University of Calgary. I started in Cellular, Microbial and Molecular Biology. In my final undergraduate year, I was lucky to work on a cancer research project for Dr. Eva Turley. It was that project that piqued my interest in medical research.
I began my master’s degree in Medical Science soon after finishing my bachelor’s degree and was privileged to work with Dr. Cyril Frank as my supervisor. He was a tremendous orthopaedic surgeon and brought multidisciplinary research teams together to solve difficult medical problems. He shaped my view of research and the world.
I was accepted into law school during the last year of my master’s degree. I learned to think differently than my science research mind and look for the grey areas rather than certainty. After finishing my articles at Code Hunter, my interests took me to the world of technology startups.
The challenge of bringing ideas to market is one that I find thrilling and one that has been among the highlights of my career. Working with technology companies in Canada, the USA and the UK fully consumes me. There is more on my LinkedIn profile.
Further reading
Justice Sheilah Martin appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada