Full Circle Moments: How Research, Student Leadership, and Teaching Connect

Dr. Candy Ho is an internationally recognized career development scholar, keynote speaker, and author whose work advances career development as a critical lever for workforce development, education systems, and inclusive economic growth. She is the author of Discovering Careers and is currently writing two books on green workforce transformation and higher education leadership.

As Chancellor’s Chair at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, she works with K-12 educators to integrate the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into meaningful learning experiences. She is also President of Career Connections Consulting, Researcher in Residence with Challenge Factory, and an Associate with the Canadian Career Development Foundation.

Her work informs national conversations and has been featured in The Globe and Mail, BNN Bloomberg, and CTV News. She serves on the boards of the Counselling Foundation of Canada, CERIC, The Education Promise (People for Education), and the BCIT Alumni Association, contributing to policy, research, and practice that advance career development as public infrastructure.

Noor Bidawid, fourth year KPU psychology student with a minor in counselling psychology. I am preparing to become a Registered Clinical Counsellor. My passion for counselling grew from experiences working in pharmacy, interacting with patients from minority and underrepresented communities who often lacked access to mental health support. Volunteering as a youth educator further strengthened this passion through facilitating workshops that encourage young adults to normalize asking for help and empower educators to be a guiding light for their students. I am currently working as a research assistant with the Chair of the Department of Education, Dr. Zahia Marsouk, studying how AI is motivating students’ Self-efficacy, task value, and outcome expectations. I am also open to opportunities in research and teaching assistant roles, mentoring students, and anything that helps me foster inclusion and empowerment for students to learn.