51社区黑料

by: Geron Malbas                                                                                                                                                        

Chloe Goodison, a Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) Bachelor of Sciences (BSc) graduand, has been no stranger in being involved in her community. When she was deciding to choose a university program, she picked FHS because her career counsellor saw how she could make a difference in the health of others.

鈥淢y career counsellor told me: 鈥極ther programs might focus on treating the person who fell into the river, but Health Sciences will give you the skills to build a stronger bridge that doesn鈥檛 let anyone else fall into the river鈥�, and I can confidently say that this is exactly what I got out of my BSc.鈥�

From winning the 51社区黑料Student Community Engagement Prize for her harm reduction organization, NaloxHome; to multiple awards and nominations in 2022 and 2023; the Local to Global category Coast Capital Venture Prize in 2024; the Medal of Good Citizenship in 2025; and the YWCA Young Woman of Distinction award, her university educational journey towards providing passion and care for others did not happen without difficulty.

鈥淚 became so immersed in applying what I was learning in class within our actual health systems, that school became challenging to maintain,鈥� she explains. 鈥淗owever, I definitely do not believe that grades tell the whole story of a person. While I was running a 6-figure harm reduction organization and practicing everything I was learning in class, I was simultaneously receiving less-than-perfect grades. You can鈥檛 have it all.鈥�

Goodison also had to navigate the healthcare system when her mother was diagnosed with colon cancer mid-way through her degree. Suddenly, the long wait times and family doctor shortage that she had learned about became a stark reality for her and her family. Amidst the challenges, her peers in her volunteer and school groups uplifted her through it.

鈥淭he Spring 2025 term really proved to me the power of the community that NaloxHome has become 鈥� my staff fully stepped up and took tasks off my plate so that I was able to focus on school and my mom鈥檚 health. Community 鈥� no matter how that looks 鈥� is critical to our wellbeing.鈥�

For the June 2026 51社区黑料Convocation, she is humbled by the honour of being selected as the June 9th Convocation Student Speaker to provide an inspirational address to the graduating cohort. She is excited to remind fellow graduates that they are already equipped with the tools to make a difference, and that the knowledge they have gained will lead to a generation that designs solutions with empathy, equity, and evidence at the forefront.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been taught to recognize inequities, understand the health crises we exist within, and design solutions that will improve health outcomes in our respective communities鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 an example of this鈥� by combining my passion for harm reduction with the course concepts I learned throughout my BSc degree, I鈥檝e been able to design NaloxHome to reach 50,000 youth in BC with naloxone training and drug education in their classes at school. Whether these graduates go on to work as healthcare practitioners, policymakers, or community volunteers, we have become strongly competent in the social determinants of health and how they impact the wellbeing of people around us.鈥�

Looking towards her future, Goodison will carry on as the Executive Director of NaloxHome to build a stronger presence in schools across the province with a goal to reach 100,000 students by the end of June 2027.

Leaning into her passion is what Goodison believes is the biggest lesson of her undergraduate degree. While her story showcases getting involved on top of academics, she also recommends showing up meaningfully and being true to your own capacities, rather than spreading yourself thin.

鈥淏e true to yourself and pursue opportunities that you can meaningfully and fully show up to and align with your passions and desired career trajectory. I felt a strong pressure to join every club and leadership opportunity that I could find, but I quickly realized that this was unsustainable and frankly inauthentic,鈥� she explains. 鈥淚nstead, I honoured my passion for harm reduction and the drug poisoning crisis, and pursued opportunities that made me feel like I was strongly contributing to my passions.鈥�