Gabriela Covaci arrived in Canada in 2003 from Romania with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and an MBA. Yet, in spite of her educational background, she could only find a minimum wage job. It wasn’t enough for Covaci—she decided to go back to school and has never looked back. As an employment consultant, she works closely with youth, adults, newcomers and internationally-trained professionals to overcome barriers to employment. Covaci is also an instructor with the Faculty of Continuing Education at Mohawk College and an International Language Teacher with the Halton and Hamilton District School Boards. She has won two YWCA Women of Distinction Awards for community leadership and is a recipient of the 2017 RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrants Award. Most recently, Covaci became chair of the Halton Newcomer Strategy Project, an advocacy team that engages the community to empower newcomers to Halton.