Yanique

Regardless of race, religion, nationality, or gender, I believe every human being deserves one fundamental right — the right to live with dignity.

I believe God created each of us to love and care for one another and, above all else, to uphold one another’s dignity. Throughout my life, and to this very moment, that is all I have strived to do.

I am deeply humbled to have received the Governor General’s award in Commemoration of the Persons Case.

To my mother, who, in the face of extraordinary hardship and with the humblest of means, fought tirelessly to protect my dignity and my education, and in doing so, helped shape the woman I am today — thank you.

I thank God for the strength and grace to continue this journey. I thank my incredible Help A Girl Out @hago_canada team for their unwavering belief in our mission. And I am forever grateful to the little island of Jamaica, where my story began and where the seeds of my purpose were first planted.

Finally, I leave you with this reminder — ‘our greatest impact is not measured by the recognition we receive, but by the dignity we restore, the lives we uplift, and the doors we open for those who come after us.’

Congratulations to the other extraordinary recipients.

Photo credits to MS Anne-Marie Brisson, Rideau Hall © OSGG, 2026

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