by Allan Gonzales
“I’ve been taught growing up about the social and environmental impacts of what we do as communities. ” he explains. This early awareness shaped his lifelong desire to use his skills for the betterment of the environment and society.
Luk Pham has always viewed sustainability as a privilege and sought ways to make it more accessible to people from different backgrounds and communities. He often pondered, “How do we integrate that into our life and society as a whole?”
“We want to think about not just about sustainability in terms of environmental, but sustainability in our homes, of how we can bring both communities together make it more resilient to environmental effects, but also just community and social issues that we care about.”
As a Sustainability Coordinator, Pham now facilitates these crucial conversations with innovators, entrepreneurs and sustainability leaders to collaboratively foster dialogue on solutions to critical challenges and pressing issues.
“Being able to bring those conversations together is what we think is a starting point for people to do the work.”
As a recipient of the 2018 Future Aces Scholarship, he has been able to incorporate the values of the Future ACES Creed into his daily life and career. He actively works to empower youth and support individuals facing adversity.
“Those are kind of the ways I like to integrate the social problems we have with environmental issues of ‘How do we create more housing that is resilient to weather complications?’ but also ‘How to make it affordable and accessible to people that need it?’ Those are ways I try to still get involved in my community.”
Thanks to the scholarship, he was able to focus on his mission to create a greater impact through his current work, free from the burden of financial stress.
“It was a feeling of relief to be able to know that I have a mission in mind. And I can continue to advance it without having to put a huge burden on myself and know that I’m missing out on opportunities that I know I can help other people.”
The award-winning scholar is grateful for every opportunity he received throughout his upbringing and recognizes the importance of reciprocating that support to others. If he were to give advice to his grade twelve self, it would be to explore various opportunities and take advantage of it.
“Now that you have those opportunities and access to this, those are the chances that you can also find your own path in life and take those risks that you not necessarily thought of before.”
Pham continues to embody the Creed by caring for his community and leading by example, aiming to pass on these values on to the next generation. “It’s always about caring for the people surrounding you and always thinking about how to lead, but also let other people lead in these spaces.”
The BC native consistently seeks collaborative opportunities within his community to address pressing global issues, aiming to create local impacts that resonate across diverse communities and untimely reach a global scale.
Whether he’s engaging in youth conversations or sharing ideas with diverse networks on sustainable solutions, Pham constantly inspires others to care for their communities and the environment, striving to create a better world.
“I’m always looking to inspire other people to be empowered to lead themselves and also to create that value of caring about the community they’re involved in.”