“In diversity there is beauty and there is strength”- Maya Angelou

The Person of the Month Award is designed to recognize the dedicated and diligent individuals who have greatly contributed and made everlasting impacts to the Social Diversity for Children Foundation. For the month of November, we are proud to acknowledge a beloved member of our SDC family, Cecilia Leong! Throughout her time working with SDC, Cecilia has shown her unwavering passion and hard work toward exemplifying SDC’s mission and values. As the Program Coordinator, Cecilia is especially passionate about creating new programming for the neurodiverse community and does her best to provide a truly inclusive experience for them.

Cecilia was born in Vancouver and grew up in North Delta. She studied at the University of British Columbia and earned her Bachelor of Science in Food Science. She is a proud mother of 2 neurodiverse children, who are both diagnosed with autism. Some of her hobbies include baking, hiking, and spending time with her children. Cecilia’s vision is for the world to become more inclusive and accepting of people who learn in different ways. She strongly believes that it would be beneficial for everyone to be able to coexist in a harmonious and inclusive way.

The beginning of her story, Cecilia started her career at SDC in April of 2022. Upon joining, her first and current role was to work as a program coordinator. Working as a program coordinator was an impactful and intriguing experience. Celia's profession began with a contract position signing with Autism BC, and upon the end of the contract, she was approached by SDC and offered a position in their team. As of now, she has been with the team for 9 months and has created one of the first K pop dance classes that are now launching in January of 2023.

Even before the launch of the new K-Pop dance program, Cecilia has been able to help a variety of events with SDC including the 2022 Once Upon a Shine Gala. She enjoyed watching the complexity of the event and all parts that came together to create an amazing result. As a Program Coordinator, she has helped create and organize week-long camps during school breaks and SDC’s regular programs. Liaising with families of program participants and instructors is another big part of her responsibilities with SDC. In her time at SDC, she has been an integral part of the program management team!

Throughout the many years Cecilia was a part of SDC, she has always been passionate about bringing programs for the neurodiverse community to bring inclusivity to every individual of all abilities.  “In diversity there is beauty and there is strength” is a quote that ignited her passion for disability justice to remove the negative connotation of learning in different ways. Whenever she sees any individuals or her children think differently, she is amazed at all the possible positive outcomes that result from these positive differences between everyone. Cecilia wishes to continue her journey with SDC and get to know more families to bring hope for a future where differences can be celebrated as a strength. Thank you Cecilia for your hard work and determination towards SDC!