05/22/2026
I am still viscerally shook from last night. I am so grateful to be the recipient of the 2026 Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest Women of the Year Award in the Arts & Culture category.
For the first time in my life I stepped on a stage and was rendered utterly speechless (…and if you know me even for 5 minutes, you know I’m never speechless😙). I am honoured to hold an award that has been held in the hands of so many impactful women in all the 50 years before me who have been leaders in our community and who have paved the path in getting me here. I do not take this lightly. I was really not expecting this, but I am honoured and am truly grateful to receive it.
To everyone who has supported me in getting here — especially my partner and my children — thank you.
And to all the people out there — little or grown —who have ever felt like a bit of a misfit.. always feeling too much or too little .. wondering where you fit in the great big world — know that you fit exactly as you are, anywhere you choose… and then some! Your joy, your passions, your talents, and your quirky, authentic, cringey, unfiltered uniqueness IS your strength. Own it. Enjoy it. And share it. You and your heart are a gift to our community and our world.
And finally, thank you to my baby girl — my little angel, my illuminated guiding light. I know for certain you were there with me yesterday and there all my days.. thank you. I love you always, my Maya moon 🌙