WCVM alumnus honours parents’ legacy of sacrifice with new scholarship

“It’s hard to imagine moving your family to a new country where one has to learn a whole new way of life in a whole other language. I am so humbled by what my parents have had to do to ensure a better life for us,” says Dr. Azy Behnam, who graduated from the WCVM in 2023.

The Giti Golmohammadi Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Award, which is named after Behnam’s mother, supports a student whose path to veterinary medicine has involved the challenges of immigration.

“Currently, there are very few awards for veterinary students who have immigrated to Canada. These students often have had to overcome obstacles as newcomers that multi-generational settlers have not,” says Behnam.

“Many immigrant students also juggle multiple responsibilities such as family obligations and part-time work. This can have an impact on their ability to dedicate time to veterinary-related work or volunteer hours, which are often necessary to apply for many of the awards available.”

The award’s first recipient is Lillian Lu, a third-year veterinary student at the WCVM. She accepted the award from Behnam during the college’s fall awards program on Sept. 23. Originally from China, Lu immigrated to Vancouver, B.C., when she was five years old, and she can relate to Behnam’s journey of building a new life in a new country.

“Her story resonated with me because my parents also had to work very hard and endure tough times to establish our family in Canada,” says Lu.

“It’s very motivational to be chosen as the recipient of such a special award.”

Behnam’s parents are originally from Iran, and shortly after marrying, they left the country in the 1970s to study abroad in Germany. Her father studied mechanical engineering while her mother studied dentistry, and they planned to eventually return to their home country. After Behnam was born, her mother had to abandon her studies to raise her daughter because of limited family support. Political unrest in Iran further strained the family’s plan to return to their home country.

“By 1979, the Iranian revolution also drastically changed my parents' trajectory, whereby returning to their home country was no longer a possibility,” says Behnam, who moved to Canada when she was 11 years old with her parents and two siblings.

Language barriers and financial constraints were some of the challenges that the family faced as they adjusted to life in Vancouver, B.C., their new home.

By the time she turned 16, Behnam knew that she wanted to work in a career focused on animal health. Before pursuing veterinary medicine, she worked in the field of wildlife education and rehabilitation and earned an Honours degree in Applied Animal Biology at the University of British Columbia.

In 2019, she enrolled at the WCVM to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine.

“I know not being able to complete her schooling has been a lifelong regret for my mother and seeing me succeed in similar circumstances — my daughter Arya being 18 months when I started vet school and us living so far from our families who are still in Vancouver — was extremely important to her,” says Behnam, who also became a student leader in advancing equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives during her four years at the veterinary college.

“In 2020, I was part of a student group that founded WCVM DIVERSE (Diversity and Inclusivity in the Veterinary Environment: Respect, Solidarity and Empowerment), a club that provides a safe space for racialized and LGBTQIA2S+ students and our allies,” says Behnam. “We wanted to come together in solidarity and shine a much-needed light on racism, exclusion and discrimination within the veterinary field.”

Members of WCVM DIVERSE continue to be active in supporting cultural education and representation throughout the community. Lu says that Behnam’s foundational work has helped open new doors for educational opportunities that she hopes will continue to grow.

“Our college is made up of many different minorities so it’s great to have multicultural nights and opportunities to learn about each other. I want to share about my own culture, and I want to know about the culture of others. There’s always room to grow, but we’re shifting in a positive direction,” says Lu.

Behnam says that upholding and building awareness of EDI is a main component of the new scholarship.

“EDI is pivotal for developing a learning environment that fosters diverse perspectives,” says Behnam, who is now a small animal veterinarian at All West Animal Hospital in Saskatoon, Sask.

“Immigrants have been important for the growth of EDI in any institution, but it’s not their duty to bear the emotional burden of these initiatives. Instead they should be included as empowered contributors at the EDI decision-making table.”

Behnam says her mother was surprised and grateful to learn about the new award that carries her name. But Golmohammadi also told her daughter that the recognition wasn’t necessary.

“Her proudest moment is being able to see her children accomplish their dreams, and she finds great comfort in this,” says Behnam.

Article originally published at https://wcvmtoday.usask.ca