2018 was an eventful year like any other. Despite the not-so-great events that occurred throughout the year, it is important to remember that the year itself was also full of significant female achievement. As there was so much of it, I decided to focus on significant Canadian women. It’s amazing to see how many #GirlBosses changed history. Here are eight Canadians who made 2018 their year. Hopefully their accomplishments will keep you #KillingIt for 2019!
Tessa Virtue
Virtue is an accomplished skater and ice dancer with a career spanning 20 years. Her ice dance performance at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics to Moulin Rouge melted hearts around the world. Virtue along with her ice dancing partner, Scott Moir, are now the most decorated Olympic athletes in history, with three gold medals and five overall. Training harder than ever before, Virtue and Moir’s goal was to turn their Olympic dreams into reality (again). I think it is safe to say they did just that. Following their success, the pair were inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in Toronto and performed in the Thank You Canada Tour (another tour of similar affiliation is said to be in the works for 2019!).
Mylene Tu
Tu is an engineering student at the University of Waterloo and founder of FEM in STEM, a social enterprise and resource hub which allows women to connect to the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) community. Her mission? According to Women of Influence, it is to “Find. Explore. Motivate.” Not only does Tu wish to provide STEM women with the greatest of resources for education and employment in the field, but she wants to raise awareness surrounding the gender gap as well. Heavily influenced by her experiences as a first year, Tu hopes to inspire and equip her fellow women in Ontario to pursue their STEM-based goals. Since creating FEM in STEM, Tu has collaborated with Women on the Move and has gained over 70 members across Ontario. You can learn more about Tu, here and FEM in STEM here.
Domee Shi
Shi has worked for Pixar since 2011 as a storyboard artist. She gained acclaim for her animated short, Bao, which premiered before screenings of Brad Bird’s Incredibles 2. Shi’s work on Bao made her the first-ever female director at Pixar. Based on her childhood in Toronto, Shi captured the relationship between mother and child. Part fairy tale and part personal homage, this short’s messaging transcends cultural boundaries. Since Shi’s mass success, it is rumoured she is en route to creating her first feature-length project.
Carly Fleischmann
Carly Fleischmann was diagnosed with autism and oral motor apraxia at the age of two. This prevents her from being able to communicate with the use of her mouth. At the age of 10, Fleischmann began to communicate via a computer. In early 2018, she had the opportunity to host The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. She is the first nonverbal talk show host to do so. Fleischmann also has her own Youtube-based talk show, Speechless with Carly Fleischmann, where she has interviewed the likes of Channing Tatum and James Van Der Beek. Fleischmann has continued to work hard as an advocate for the autism community through her wit, humour and intellect.
Sandra Oh
Icon and legend Sandra Oh is well known for her role as Dr. Cristina Yang on Grey’s Anatomy. Since leaving the show in 2014 she has continued to partake in projects both on and off screen. Back in 2018, Oh made Emmy history by becoming the first woman of Asian descent to be nominated for the Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series category (the 2019 Golden Globes continue to elude to another year of great things …). The Emmy nomination was for her brilliant performance in BBC America’s Killing Eve. This was not only historic for Oh, but for Asian representation and culture everywhere.