WrapCap Youth Winjoy Tiop Finalist for Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards

CFN is very happy to announce Winjoy Nyariaki Tiop gas been nominated as a finalist for the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards. Winjoy is a member of CFN's WrapCap Youth Program and we couldn't be more proud.

Born in Nairobi Kenya, Winjoy is the eldest of five siblings born to South-Sudanese and Kenyan parents. At five years of age, the Tiop family immigrated to Canada as a result of the second Sudanese Civil war and concurrent political instability within Kenya. Currently, Tiop is a senior undergraduate student, pursuing a bachelor’s in chemistry with a minor in computer science at the University of Calgary.

In University, Tiop undertook a number of projects. At the Scantelbury Lab, she contributes to pediatric epilepsy research. Leveraging her background in software development and strength in mathematics, Tiop was able to automate electroencephalogram analysis through the use of time and frequency analysis by way of the Fourier transform, digital filter design and Continuous Wavelet Transform. At both the Chang-Chun Ling Lab and Paul-Arnold Lab, Tiop contributes to wet-lab research focusing on synthesis of inhibitors for tumor-associated glycosyltransferases and gene-environmental interactions in the development of psychiatric disorders respectively.

Tiop is also involved in community research, specifically, the regional five-year initiative —spearheaded by the Calgary Centre for Newcomers — aiming to standardize the co-ordination of newcomer youth settlement services. In addition to research, Tiop is actively involved in the broader technical community. With an international team of undergraduates, she successfully competed in Infosys Summer of Ideas program 2020 (an international Hackathon) under the theme of artificial intelligence. Her team was successful in using machine learning algorithms (e.g., convoluted neural networks) in developing a proof of concept application aimed at assisting visually impaired individuals, through object and distance detection.

Outside of the formal academic environment, Tiop is heavily involved in the community.

She volunteers with the Football Hockey Link (FHL) and co-founded Golden Mti. The FHL supports new Canadian youth using sports as a tool to assist in integration, develop a sense of belonging and leadership development. Simply put, Golden Mti attempts to address barriers to post-secondary education for BIPOC children by equipping youth with resources to succeed through professional tutors, workshops and mentorship.

For all her accomplishments, Tiop has received the Calgary Faces of Community Award, Persons Case Scholarship and a feature in the Calgary Journal.

To vote for Winjoy visit canadianimmigrant.ca/canadas-top-25-immigrants/vote 

source: Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards