VEMU hopes to document the achievements of these remarkable women for its archives, as well as hear about the challenges they have faced along the way. The event will be the first in the series EstoFem: Stories of Professional Women, which aims to highlight women who have been successful as entrepreneurs or in their respective fields.
How did this idea come about? Many stories about the contributions of Estonian Canadian men, both to the community and to Canada as a whole, can be found in the VEMU archives, but far less often have women’s voices been heard. For this reason, VEMU has been planning to correct this imbalance for several years. In 2025, a pilot project was launched, during which the topic was approached by VEMU team member Monika Siim Kiviloo, who, with the help of a student scholarship from Tartu College, interviewed a number of accomplished professional women. These interviews can be viewed on VEMU’s YouTube channel here.
The eventful day will begin with a meeting with Estonian Canadian Alissa (Puhm) North, Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Toronto, from 1 to 2 p.m. Alissa has completed a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, with Honour Standing, at the University of Toronto (1998), and a Masters, With Distinction, at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design (2003); her career has been accompanied by peer recognition and professional prestige. For her talent and ability Alissa has gained recognition through numerous other awards. She has won: in 2003, the prestigious Jacob Weidenman Prize for outstanding design ability at Harvard; in 2002, the Janet Darling Weber Prize, special achievement in design; in 1998, the Lieutenant Governor’s Silver Medal, outstanding graduating student; in 1998, the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects, high academic record, school contribution, ingenuity in design; in 1997, the University of Toronto Scholar designation; etc. Along with her husband Peter, they founded North Design Office in 2005. This will be a free event.
So what can you hope to gain from [Merit's] engaging and interactive workshop? A greater awareness of the impostor phenomenon and how to manage it, tools to recognize and challenge your own thought patterns, and strategies to reduce negative impact and achieve your goals with greater confidence.
The rest of the afternoon, from 2 p.m. onwards, will be dedicated to a workshop titled “From Doubt to Change: Navigating the Impostor Experience”, led by career coach Merit Luik from Estonia. Merit is a career coach, supervisor, and trainer who works as a development partner for individuals and organizations, helping to create clarity, confidence, and meaningful working lives. She supports youth and adults in making informed choices, and assists organizations in increasing sustainable performance and employee well-being. As a former teacher and long-time developer of career education, she contributes to the advancement of career services by combining a systemic perspective with a deep, human-centric practice. So what can you hope to gain from that engaging and interactive workshop? A greater awareness of the impostor phenomenon and how to manage it, tools to recognize and challenge your own thought patterns, and strategies to reduce negative impact and achieve your goals with greater confidence. This portion of the day costs $15 for youth up to the age of 35 and $30 for everyone else. We ask that you register by February 5that vemu.ca.
Merit Luik will also give a public lecture in Estonian at Tartu College titled “Work as a Blessing or a Burden: How to Create a Healthy Work Life That Promotes Wellbeing in Today’s Hectic World” on Wednesday, February 4 at 7 p.m.
We’re excited to be organizing this event and hope to see many of you on February 8th. Get ready to be thoroughly inspired and mentally rejuvenated! More info about events taking place during VEMU’s general Career Days program, running from January 30th– February 8th , can be found at vemu.ca. See you there!
