Gizelle du Guzman made a statement last year in Cremona attending her prom bald to raise awareness for cancer. That commitment to advocacy has gained her the attention of the faculty at Dalhousie University.
A first-year student at the Halifax school, du Guzman, 18, is being acknowledged with not one but two awards.
“It’s incredible – I cried,” du Guzman said.
du Guzman was presented with two Impact Awards last month. The Rising Star Award is given to a student who demonstrates an outstanding level of commitment, leadership, creativity and initiative to the Dalhousie Student Union, campus and community. The Faculty of Management Leadership Award goes to a student who “exemplifies the highest level of passion for their discipline” and takes initiative in creating new opportunities and encourages peers to engage in faculty events.
“It’s amazing, not just the fact that you’re recognized but the exposure – people take you more seriously about your initiatives and what you believe in and that is really the goal,” du Guzman said.
The teen is known for advocacy work in Alberta where she served as Mental Health Youth Ambassador for Alberta Children’s Hospital and shaved her head before her 2016 prom for Kids Cancer Care’s Shave Your Lid for a Kid program. Continuing in that vein, she keeps busy as a member of the Dalhousie Entrepreneurship Society, the Dalhousie Investment Society and the Rowe Business School Marketing Association.
“I just got connected to a lot of people, so it was fun and the next thing I know I’m doing a lot of things that I really enjoy,” the teen said.
Starting her volunteering career in Grade 9, the former Cremona teen also works with the Enactus Society where she took part in events to link Syrian newcomers with financial advisers, provided support to Autism Nova Scotia, and helped create an event to support the reforestation in Point Pleasant Park, one of Halifax’s finest green spaces.
“I’m myself an immigrant and know how it feels to be excluded – the initiatives focused on helping others develop their entrepreneurial skills,” du Guzman said, who is originally from the Philippines. She moved to Cremona in 2011.
Not one to just sit back, du Guzman was also a performer at the Impact Award event at the University.
“My family is into music, so everyone was really musical growing up,” the teen said.
“University is really hectic but it is so much better than high school. You can choose what you want to do and giving back is a lot like that. There is a lot you can choose from and it’s so much easier to do something that you love.”
With exam season starting, du Guzman said after her first year of university is done she will be heading back to Cremona for the summer. Once home, she plans to continue to pursue singing through competitions at rodeos and stampedes. She will also volunteer at Camp Kindle, a camp designed to “create magical experiences for children with cancer.”
“In the first year, as a management student, it’s all about your connections. Coming from a small town, it’s hard to integrate yourself into the big world but that’s what you got to do,” she said.
“Force yourself to meet new people and get involved.”
