I was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia to immigrant parents and moved to Ottawa as a child, where I grew up understanding how much strong communities matter.

Like many families building a life in Canada, ours experienced difficult periods when community organizations, healthcare services, volunteers and neighbours helped us move forward. Those experiences taught me early that none of us succeeds entirely on our own.

My Ghanaian heritage also shaped how I see community, family and responsibility. I was raised to believe that when people are struggling, we don't simply walk past them. We find ways to help.

Those lessons have stayed with me throughout my life.

For more than 17 years, I've worked alongside people during some of the most challenging moments of their lives.

My career has included work with youth, newcomers, people experiencing homelessness, individuals living with mental-health challenges and families navigating difficult systems. Today, I lead a transitional housing program serving newcomers and refugee claimants in Ottawa.

I've also spent years teaching future social service workers at Algonquin College and serving in community leadership roles.

That experience has taught me that government programs matter, but so do the everyday details: whether someone can find housing, whether a street feels safe, whether a park is welcoming, whether a business can survive, and whether someone can actually get an answer when they ask government for help.

Somerset Ward isn't just where I'm running. It's where I live and where much of my life happens.

I walk and bike these streets. I shop at our local businesses. I spend time in our parks and public spaces. I've worked in and around this community for years, and many of the challenges we talk about at city hall are things I encounter in everyday life.

I also see what makes this ward extraordinary.

Centretown, Chinatown and Little Italy are filled with entrepreneurs, families, newcomers, artists, community organizations, volunteers and neighbours who care tremendously about where they live.

I want Somerset to be a place where people can afford to stay, businesses can thrive, public spaces feel welcoming, and residents feel that City Hall is working with them rather than around them.

I don't believe good ideas belong to one political camp.

I believe in listening before deciding, bringing the right people together, looking at evidence and being willing to change course when something isn't working.

I believe compassion and accountability can exist at the same time.

I believe residents deserve honest answers, including when the answer isn't easy.

And I believe a councillor should be visible in the community, not only at City Hall.

My approach is simple: listen carefully, work collaboratively and focus on whether the decisions we make actually improve everyday life.