Stefanie Tan

Title: Leadership Coordinator
Interesting Fact: Stefanie once tried to master the art of coconut harvesting in Cuba.

Stefanie is excited to be part of the Leaders Today team, where she can put her passion for education and social equality to work. Working with the Volunteer Now! program, Stefanie empowers students and teachers to get involved in their communities and embrace their roles as global citizens.

An active member of her own community, Stefanie was especially busy in high school. She directed her school’s annual Culture Show, participated in Model United Nations and coordinated the Out of the Cold program, which provides homeless people in Toronto with dinner and a warm bed in the winter.

Attending McGill University in Montréal, Stefanie graduated with a bachelor degree in international development studies and social anthropology. At McGill, she attended a speech by General Roméo Dallaire, which helped spark her passion for creating positive change in the lives of the world’s people. Dallaire urged the audience to recognize their collective responsibility to fight inequality around the world. Stefanie rose to the challenge, dedicating herself to working against the root causes of inequality—violence and poverty—in hopes of a more peaceful world. One of her first steps was volunteering with a local community of El Salvadorian refugees, where she saw firsthand the power of community to transform and uplift its members.

Stefanie loves to spend time outside, laugh until her cheeks hurt and hang out with her friends and her puppy. One of her life goals is to travel south from North America, winding through Central America, climbing Machu Picchu in Peru and not stopping until she hits Tierra del Fuego on the southernmost tip of South America. Stefanie believes that nothing is impossible if you want it badly enough.