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[Photo : Consulate-General of Japan in Calgary, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons]
👶 Early Roots in Pakistan
Born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan, Salma Lakhani grew up in a family that valued education and service. Those values would guide her path as she built a life in a new country thousands of miles away.
✈️ Journey to Canada
Salma moved to the United Kingdom for her studies, earning a degree in Clinical Biochemistry from the University of Manchester. In the late 1970s, she immigrated to Edmonton, Alberta, with her husband. Like many immigrants, the early years were filled with adjustment—building new networks, raising a family, and starting again from scratch.
🌱 Building Community
While Salma could have quietly pursued a career in science, she chose a different path: service. For more than 40 years, she devoted herself to volunteer work, supporting causes like education, healthcare, immigration, human rights, and women’s empowerment.
She became a mentor for countless women, helped establish scholarships for underrepresented students, and worked tirelessly with organizations supporting immigrants and marginalized communities.
🚀 Making History
In 2020, Salma Lakhani broke barriers by becoming Canada’s first Muslim Lieutenant Governor, appointed to represent Alberta. This historic appointment was not just a personal achievement but a moment of pride for the entire Pakistani Canadian and Muslim communities across the country.
🌍 Legacy of Service
As Lieutenant Governor, Salma uses her platform to advocate for:
- 🧑🎓 Expanding access to education
- 🏥 Improving healthcare
- 🌎 Promoting multiculturalism and inclusion
- 👩🦱 Empowering women and minorities
🌟 Why Her Story Inspires Us
- 🌸 She showed that service to community can lead to the highest honors.
- 🌍 She broke barriers as the first Muslim and South Asian in Canada’s vice-regal history.
- 💡 She proved that leadership is not just about titles—it’s about decades of quiet dedication.
