It’s an exciting moment for the Hope community as one of their own gets recognized for all their hard work and contributions towards helping others.
Dean Lin, one of the board members for AdvantageHOPE, was recently given the honour of being one of 2023’s Top 25 Canadian Immigrants.
“I was very shocked,” Lin said. “Very honoured. Definitely very grateful and honoured to accept this. Receiving this award just means that now I have an even greater responsibility to help others.
“And this responsibility is continuing to help others and continuing to give people support so that they can enjoy their life in Canada.”
Presented by Western Union, the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards is a “people’s choice awards program that recognizes inspirational immigrants who have made a positive impact on their communities since arriving in Canada.” This includes recognizing immigrants who’ve become community advocates, volunteers, prominent and successful entrepreneurs, and cultural icons. Winners or candidates for the awards are typically nominated for by other people, such as those in their community.
Lin, who moved to B.C. from Taiwan when he was 14, is both a community advocate, community builder, and an entrepreneur dedicated to helping immigrants with transitioning into their new communities. He was nominated, by his fellow peers, for the work he does through running DIVERSEcity Skills Training Centre — which offers in-person and online short-term computer and customer service training.
The centre is part of DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society (DCRS), a registered charity in Surrey that “help newcomers and other diverse communities build the life they want in Canada.”
According to Lin, he made the decision to help immigrants after witnessing the difficulties the people around him faced while trying to immigrate to Canada. Lin, who grew up in Richmond, said he attended a Canadian high school which gave him the benefit of understanding Canadian culture, society, and how the education system works here. After graduating from high school, he went to UBC and BCIT, where he obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration degree (BBA) and Masters of Business Administration (MBA). Upon obtaining his MBA, Lin went on to work in Perth, Australia for a year before coming back to B.C. and pursuing his passion.
“My passion is always about helping newcomers,” Lin said. “Helping new immigrants, and helping people who are new to a place. It doesn’t necessarily have to be in a new country, it could even be to a new town. Like, sometimes I’m trying to help workers who move to a new town for work.
“So, that was always my passion just to help newcomers and to help people in a new area. And that’s why I started working for this agency called DIVERSEcity Community Resources.”
Lin said he stayed with DCRS for a few years before an opportunity came up that led to him working and traveling around the world. This included working for The Canadian Institute, then ending up in China for three years as a representative for the Canadian government while working immigration project.
While he enjoyed his time during those three years, Lin said he missed his home and ended up going back to Canada soon after where he rejoined DCRS.
Currently, Lin divides his time between Surrey and Hope, with “60 per cent” of his year being spent in Hope. According to him, his love for Hope first started when he was teenager when he would spend his summers visiting his aunt who lived in the community. Because of this, he eventually moved to Hope as an adult, a decision that he has yet to regret.
“Every time I come back to Vancouver for work, I’m always looking forward to going back to Hope. I feel at home there. That’s my community. My neighbours are really, really, nice and we look after each other. So, I really love it.
Lin said his love for Hope and wanting to help develop the community is what led him to becoming a member of AdvantageHope.
“I wanted to make our town more vibrant and more inclusive and welcoming.”
In addition to being an entrepreneur and member of AdvantageHope, Lin also manages residential properties and runs a rental website for landlords and renters in Hope.
To learn more about the award, and how to nominate someone for 2024, visit canadianimmigrant.ca.
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@KemoneMoodley
kemone.moodley@hopestandard.com
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