I love creating and communicating in various forms of media – here is a shortlist of the art forms that occupy the non-science parts of my brain:

Music/dance

In the 2 years between my undergrad and graduate degrees, I felt a call to an orphanage for special needs kids located in a small village in Fuzhou, China. There, many of the kids had needs ranging from autism and Down’s Syndrome to cerebral palsy and had been abandoned at a young age, most likely due to their disability.

Having been trained in music from a young age and taken a couple years of ballet lessons, I took to creating a creative arts therapy program for the kids, teaching them to use music, dance and art to express what they could not communicate in words.

I also started weekly adult dance classes for the caretakers and ballet lessons for the village kids who came to the orphanage to learn English.

Needless to say, those 2 years were some of the most transformative years of my life – you can read more about my time there at: lesenfantsdechine.wordpress.com.

Videography

In coming to Montreal after my time to China, I was searching for ways to stay connected to causes supporting young mothers who wanted to raise their kids instead of resort to abortion, as well as those who wanted to choose adoption.

I found that in Quebec, local adoption rarely happens and I was curious to know why.

Around that time, I learned about Options Pregnancy Center in Chateauguay that provided pregnancy counselling services, mom support groups for young moms, and a free boutique where they could receive childcare essentials.

They had just embarked on an adoption project, however, trying to investigate the very same issue of why adoption is not an easy choice in Quebec.

I joined the team the year I went on maternity leave, and spent the year interviewing birth mothers, adoptive parents and social workers as they spoke on the issue from different angles.

Here is one of the videos I put together with Adobe Premiere Pro that summarizes the stories of several adoptive parents in Quebec.

Art

From 2017 – 2019, I volunteered at Coop Le Milieu, an open art studio designed to build resilient communities around art, as well as provide low-income families with nutritious, low-cost food.

Photography

Here is a selection of photos taken with my Nikon 35mm:

Writing

You can probably tell by now, that I love writing. I love to write about the moments of ordinary life and the thoughts that permeate mine.

I’ve also been published in these other places:

• Go World Travel: Italy’s Hidden Charm – Umbria, Tuscany and the Dolomites
• ISCAST: Christianity and Science in Conversation – Mere Science and Christian Faith
• Common Pursuits: Another dream for the compost heap