Better Together: Calgarians We Love

Calgary is a vibrant city with residents who hail from many corners of the world. It’s one of the most diverse and fastest-growing cities in Canada. We are home to more than 165 spoken languages and more than 300 nationalities. We and our neighbours, colleagues, friends and family are first-, second- and third-generation Canadians — not to mention the diversity of Indigenous peoples. There is no singular “immigrant experience,” and our city is stronger because of the vast array of experiences we share with each other.

This has been and continues to be a city of entrepreneurs, adventurers, builders and dare we say it, pioneers of all stripes. Calgarians are defined by what they make of their life here, not by where they’ve come from or what they look like.

With more than three decades of local storytelling, Avenue is resharing some of these profiles of incredible Calgarians and community members here.

Maria Marianayagam

Maria Marianayagam

1st generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Sri Lanka.

Alice Lam

2nd generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Vietnam.

Russell Broom

1st generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from the United Kingdom.

Anna Skrzypek

1st generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Poland.

Robert Miller

3rd generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Holland, Norway and England.

Justin Mulrain wears an orange suit with a pair of white shoes.

Justin Mulrain

2nd generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Barbados.

Nabeel Peermohamed

2nd generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Kenya.

Alex Putici

3rd generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Romania.

Lisette Xavier

Lisette Xavier

1st generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Chile and Portugal.

Jessica Villeneuve

Jessica Villeneuve

3rd generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Poland.

Charles Buchanan

1st generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Jamaica.

Courtney Dragani

Courtney Dragani

3rd generation immigrant with Métis heritage.
Family immigrated from Scotland and Ireland.

Allison Lynch

2nd generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Ireland and Germany.

Emily Varga

Emily Varga

1st generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from the United Kingdom.

Tim Ward

1st generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from the United Kingdom.

Ashley King

Ashley King

2nd generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Mexico and England.

Aseem Pandey and Shahrukh Shamim

Aseem Pandey

1st generation immigrant.
Immigrated from India.

Marisa Clark

2nd generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Vietnam.

CONTRA

1st generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from India.

Leah Mayo

Leah Mayo

1st generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from the United States.

Dayo Ogunyemi

Dayo Ogunyemi

1st generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Nigeria.

Nhi Tran

2nd generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Vietnam.

Anna Posikera

Anna Posikera

1st generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Ukraine.

Felipe Alberto Paredes-Canevari

Felipe Alberto Paredes-Canevari

2nd generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Peru.

Jason Ribeiro

2nd generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from England and Pakistan.

Niki (Dunne) Doenz

Niki (Dunne) Doenz

3rd generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Denmark.

Iman Bukhari

1st generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Pakistan.

Susannah S. Alleyne

1st generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Trinidad and Tobago.

Wakefield Brewster

1st generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Barbados.

Cynthia Chang-Christison wearing oversized glasses, a silk jacket, a black skirt and white boots.

Cynthia Chang-Christison

2nd generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Taiwan.

Hong Phuc Nguyen

1st generation immigrant.
Immigrated from Vietnam.

Charles Osuji

1st generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Nigeria.

Andrew Phung

2nd generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Vietnam.

Leela Jacobs wears a white button shirt, black shorts and skirt, black boots and a purse.

Leela Jacobs

2nd generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from India.

Dr. Oluwatomilayo (Tito) Daodu

1st generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Nigeria.

Serena L. Orr

Serena L. Orr

3rd generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Germany.

Nadia Maarouf

1st generation immigrant.
Immigrated from the United Kingdom and Morocco.

Vicki Van Chau

2nd generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Vietnam.

Ọláwunmi (Wunmi) Idowu

1st generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from Nigeria.

Ishita Singla

1st generation immigrant.
Family immigrated from India.

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