Emily Prieur: What It Means to Give Your Time and Kindle Your Passion

Emily Prieur is an incredibly industrious student hailing from Ottawa, Ontario. At nineteen, she’s deeply involved in research projects through McMaster University and the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Technology. Today, we asked her what drives her to be a Changemaker within her community, and why she chose to support and research the issues she does.

“Since I’m a Health Sciences student, and passionate about Indigenous issues, I always try and focus my projects on diseases that are more prominent in Indigenous communities, like diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease,” she says about her research, which hopes to focus in on the marriage between “pure science and the social determinates of health”.

In fact, it is that deeply important relationship, between societal factors and scientific knowledge, that drove her to choose the program she did- “[It’s] exactly what we study,” she says.

Her volunteering also focuses mostly on aiding Indigenous communities, but she also volunteers with those on the autism spectrum. “Volunteering really gives me an opportunity to demonstrate my passion for a cause,” she says, pointing out that while it’s certainly a great way to give back to your community, it also helps to truly dedicate yourself to your cause.

“Time is one of the most precious resources in life, and to give someone your time means you’re committed to both the success of the organization and the success of those that benefit from it.”

We had to ask: what drove her to dedicate her time to creating change within her community and others? And what can other aspiring Changemakers learn from her efforts?

“This passion wasn’t initially organic,” she tells us. At first, the actions of her peers and classmates inspired her to make change in the world around her, but it wasn’t until university that she found inspiration that was truly her own. It was that inspiration that forced her to become more productive, and truly start to find out how she could make a difference. For up-and-coming Changemakers, she counsels that mentors are her best resource and source of guidance.

“A lot of young Changemakers have great ideas, but they don’t have the resources to bring those ideas to fruition… It’s sometimes difficult to be taken seriously,” she warns, but notes that awards programs and other funding institutions give young newcomers legitimacy when they’re backed by reliable (and sometimes more accomplished) Changemakers and mentors.

Her own mentors are countless, providing her with the support she needs to achieve change.

“This is so hard because I look up to so many people, and I think I become even more inspired by someone new everyday,” she says. But immediately, she names her mother as her biggest mentor. “I am thankful she takes so much interest in the things I do.”

She names Aditya Mohan, a peer who also hails from Ottawa and another up-and-coming Changemaker in the biology sphere, as well as her research mentors, to whom she owes “absolutely everything.”

She also aspires to ultimately follow in the footsteps of Dr. Janet Smylie, one of Canada’s first Métis physicians, a Top 20 Pioneer of Family Medicine Research, and an international leader on “addressing inequities in the health of Indigenous peoples in Canada” (St. Michael’s Hospital). Emily adds that Jane Philpott, the current Minister of Health is also someone she looks up to- “surprisingly, she followed me on Twitter this year!”

“I can only hope one day I will be half as accomplished as these amazing people are,” she says finally. “I’m thankful for everything.”