Meet Jayza. She volunteers for CIWA’s Volunteer Program and is January’s Volunteer of the Month.
Jayza LLandado is originally from the Philippines. She, along with her parents and younger sister, relocated to Calgary in 2011. She graduated with honors earning a Medical Office Assistant Diploma and went on to receive her BA in Psychology. Jayza worked in the health industry in both the Philippines and Canada. She plans to return to school to complete a Post Diploma Certificate in the health field.
Jayza was seeking volunteer opportunities when she met with a CIWA staff member in the community, who encouraged her to look into volunteering with CIWA. Jayza began volunteering by providing receptionist support. Due to the level of excellence and professionalism she brought to the role, CIWA confidently referred her to other volunteer opportunities. Currently, Jayza provides office administrative support to the Volunteer Program. She updates files, makes phone calls, supports CIWA’s Volunteer Orientation Sessions, and more.
Jayza possesses a knack to learn new tasks quickly. When she was with reception, she communicated with clients and supported them with excellence and dignity as she directed them to the appropriate staff member. She never hesitated to take initiative and can be trusted to follow through on everything with excellence
She likes CIWA because of how much the organization empowers women. Jayza says that giving back to the community is important to her, and volunteering at CIWA allows her to do just that. She says that volunteering is something she loves doing, and it is a way to spend her time in meaningful ways while she looks for employment. She also appreciates the vast diversity of CIWA clients and volunteers. It allows her to acknowledge and celebrate diversity and to learn how to communicate with a variety of people.
“Through volunteering, I have become more self-aware of my own biases and am able able to confront and overcome those biases.”
She also believes that it is important to help people based on where they currently are, not where she expects them to be. She said that volunteering with CIWA allows her to practice this skill. She also enjoys volunteering as other skills are being developed and honed, while she also is able to use pre-existing skills.
CIWA staff appreciate Jayza because of the light she brings to the office. She is a fast learner, keen and easily follows directions. She doesn’t hesitate to take on new tasks and can be trusted to follow through with excellence. She is thorough and precise in her work and ensures excellence on all levels of what she does. Her communication skills are excellent and she understands how to communicate in relevant ways with clients and volunteers. She is an effective and efficient volunteer. One staff member says ‘Jayza is my angel’.
In her spare time Jayza enjoys watching documentaries and going for walks.
Do you want to volunteer at CIWA? Click here.