Gem Lee-Herder
For nearly 20 years, Gem Lee-Herder, BA’06, has been supporting people to connect, navigate systems, and feel like they belong in their communities.
An international student who moved to Canada from Korea to attend high school, Lee-Herder says her experience moving to a new country was not quite what she expected. “I remember the first month I moved here, I wrote a little essay talking about how I thought I was coming here to learn English, and to do well in my studies, but I was already discovering that there are so many different people from different countries, and I was learning about different cultures and making friends. I realized that there was so much more that I was going to be learning than just English.”
That experience of being a newcomer first led her to apply to be an international peer guide.
When I applied, I had been in Canada for a few years. I understood how hard it is to adjust to a new culture and make friends in a new environment. I felt that I wanted to give back to other new students if I could.”
Lee-Herder, who studied sociocultural anthropology and linguistics at Western prior to completing her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work at the University of Victoria and Master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Toronto, says she was surprised to discover that the program could have such a tremendous impact on her life, as well.
“We were a community. We were a family. It was more than just a program. I really felt at home – even in the physical space of the international office. I would sometimes just go there and have lunch and just chat with people. It was like that for a lot of international students who were new to the country and new to the campus and who were looking for connections,” she said. “Whether we were doing events together, getting together for dinner at somebody's home, or doing training, I still remember those moments very vividly. It’s really those moments that were pivotal to my career development later on.”
When she graduated from Western and was contemplating her next step, Lee-Herder realized it was “a no-brainer” to continue in a field related to welcoming newcomers to Canada and helping them navigate the system. For the past 17 years, she’s worked in various sectors helping people access programs and services and build communities, mainly working with immigrants and refugees.
“One thing led to another and led to another,” said Lee-Herder, who is now working in health care but also has experience working in other areas related to settlement, education and human rights.
“Everything I've done so far has been to do with helping people navigate and access the system. My work is focused on creating access to care and designing programs and services that are person-centered.”
Lee-Herder feels grateful for continued opportunities to bring her knowledge and experience to others.
“The Peer Guide program really was instrumental in my career direction. It helped me realize that there are people and resources available if you’re really looking. That helped me to navigate, even when I moved to different cities, to a different sector and in different jobs. I learned that I don't have to do things all by myself. I don't have to know all the resources – there are people I can go to ask,” she said.
“Being a peer mentor is amazing. It's about supporting each other, too. Both peer guides and the peers we supported were helping each other. So, we were equal – we were both giving and receiving,” she said. “I think I’ve always carried that mentality with me in my work. I don’t just see my clients as people who I'm helping, but we’re helping each other and there's a lot we can learn from each other.”
