Rong Wu was born and raised in China. Prior to arriving to Montreal in 1999, she received a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and worked in the engineering field. Her young family relocated to Calgary in 2005, when her child was only 6 months old.
Rong came to CIWA in 2016 for assistance in making a career transition, and the support she received from CIWA inspired her to give back by volunteering. She said that she had learnt a lot and want to help newcomers by sharing her expertise and experiences.
“Volunteering is a commitment; it may not be paid, but it is a mission.”
Rong initially volunteered as a facilitator with the New Friends and Neighborhood Groups Program, where she assisted with program planning and delivery to help women make new friends and practice their English speaking skills. In 2020, she provided support to CIWA’s Mindfulness for Support for Immigrant Seniors project. Rong currently provides valuable interpretation and class support for our clients and staff through the Everyday English for Seniors project.
“I have a sense of obligation to help seniors, and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from all of them while providing meaningful support.”
Volunteering has been beneficial to Rong as she is constantly learning new things, such as about different ways of living, cultures and languages. She also deeply enjoys ‘being a bridge’ between newcomers and Canada. Through interpretation, she loves being able describe aspects of Canadian culture in a way that clients can relate.
CIWA staff definitely notice her commitment to help. Rong is incredibly hard working, dedicated, and reliable.
“Without Rong, there wouldn’t be two-way communication otherwise. Her support is quite extraordinary.” – CIWA Staff
In her spare time, Rong enjoys reading, running, and has recently started taking pottery classes.
Thank you, Rong, for selfless commitment to volunteering and supporting newcomer women at CIWA!
To learn more about Everyday English for Seniors, click here.