Midlife: A COVID Anthology with Sarah Chan and Jhen Pabillano

Sarah Chan and Jhen Pabillano have stories to tell, and know others whose stories held power, meaning, and insight. 20 years ago, they met at The Gateway, a student newspaper at the University of Alberta, where both nurtured their passion to stand against the grain of what's popular and talk about what they felt was important. What started as an idea to reconnect with Gateway alumni turned into a new passion project cultivated by newfound time as a result of COVID and the desire to reconnect and tell stories with old friends. These are the stories of people entering their middle age, of newfound wisdom, trials and tribulations, difficult choices, and so much more. This is Midlife.

Sarah Chan (MA) is a musician & artist, teacher, social advocate, yoga toddler (RYT-200), and mother of two. She operates a private piano studio, seeing over 30 students each week. Sarah created and Chairs the Dentons Make Your Mark program at United Way, a youth activation program for student leaders. She also Co-Chaired United Way’s campaign cabinet from 2016-2018. As a social advocate with a deep understanding of Edmonton’s charitable sector, Sarah currently sits as a director on both the CN and Telus Community Giving Boards, in Edmonton. 

Sarah has been a mentor with BGCBigs for the past 7 years. She is the Honorary Patron for YESS; An advocate for Edmonton Public Library; And, a Member of the Mentor team at Peter Lougheed Leadership College.

Sarah is one half of mèi mèi, a sister ukulele duo. She is a long-time feminist and cycling advocate. And she races sails boats! Most importantly, she excels at telling the truth and making jokes. She is small, and mighty. 

Jhenifer Pabillano, PMP,  is a Project Manager with the City of Vancouver, working on strategic corporate projects for the City’s Engineering Services department.

Previously, she was the Communications Manager for the 2018 municipal election and spent five years as the City’s first ever Social Media Strategist. Her work at the City has earned a UBCM Community Excellence Award for Best Practices in Social Media, a Canadian Internet Marketing Award for Best Social Media Campaign, and an IABC Gold Quill Merit Award.

Jhenifer's previous roles include award-winning communications work for TransLink, the transportation authority in Metro Vancouver. She holds a Master of Journalism from the University of British Columbia, and a BA from the University of Alberta.

To read more on Midlife, or to purchase your copy, visit their website, or follow them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. 

The launch is Thursday, April 22 at 8pm Mountain Time on YouTube. 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-YLyAVQnarSGN6stDRKjGQ

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