From Refugee to Community Leader: The Inspiring Journey of Rassell Labash

Rassell Labash watched her brother get shot outside her house. At that moment, she and her family became refugees, fleeing the Syrian War.

Rassell Labash watched the first victim of the Syrian war get shot outside of her house, her brother. At that moment she and her family became refugees. 8 years later she would be the recipient of an estimated quarter million dollars worth of scholarships in Canada, three full ride scholarships, and a pillar in the community supporting thousands of impoverished kids… this is her “People’s Voice Article”.

Labash fled to Jordan with her family and faced an immense amount of discrimination, experiencing alienation as an immigrant in a neighboring country. On weekdays, Rassell watched her father leave for work at his flooring company and come home with no money in his hands. People refused to pay him when they heard he was Syrian. Her parents worked odd jobs tirelessly to put food on the table. There was no time to mourn her brother; Rassell, at only the young age of six, had already experienced more than most kids. One day, her mother received the call every refugee prays for—an opportunity for safety and a new life in Canada. For months, Rassell cried, not only trying to understand a new society but also having to learn English. Her family ended up in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside subsidized housing. As a low-income family, they struggled to make ends meet, facing food insecurity, poverty, and the sight of people openly doing drugs in front of her as she attended school. Despite her circumstances, she found community in her Syrian neighbors, who shared a similar story. At 10, her friend told her about a volunteering opportunity at a nearby community center called Raycam. This was the beginning of her discovery that “although she couldn’t change her circumstances, she realized she could change others.”

The moment she sat in the chair, Marni McMullen knew Rassell would excel at Raycam, to this day Mcmullen is still her greatest mentor. Rassell yearned to create the community that was missing, and so she dedicated hundreds of hours volunteering for the next three years. Her family lack of finances persisted in her life, so she picked up a job at the Bakery. The staff at Rassell noticed she wasn't like other youth volunteering, she had a special skill to be a leader and hired her as the youngest staff to work at the community centre. She took care of kids at the daycare, facilitated activities from arts and crafts to taking them out on field trips as a Junior Leader. This was only the beginning. She realized she was passionate about her community, “I have a big passion for science but a bigger passion in community!”. All of this led to her decision to pursue Pediatrics, in hopes of saving kids as a doctor and giving them opportunities for a better life, like how Rassell fought for herself. She is utterly selfless. In grade 12 in high school, along with excelling in her classes she founded Raycam Youth Council, and was later elected onto the City of Vancouver's Youth Council to advocate for those without voices, refugees, and low-income students in her neighbourhood. As the founder of the Youth Council she led weekly workshops with youth, and guided them to impact hundreds of people through mental health initiatives, and volunteering opportunities. She lobbied for more spaces for teens to meet in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. At her high school she became the Community Representative on the Student Council. Along with the many hours she put into her community, she worked ridiculously hard, receiving Principals list with an average above 96 percentile. Additionally she founded “Level Up”, a program that provides an opportunity for underrepresented youth to expand their skills ranging from networking to involvement with sports. Her leadership of the Social Justice and Community Committee has resulted in the creation of numerous events for local youth. She continued to soar, founding a Nonprofit Organization tutoring program, “Penpals”. The program has received success, partnering with “United for Literacy”, expanding this model in Edmonton and Toronto. In 2023, she became President of the Vancouver City Wide Youth Council.

When she arrived in Canada, she had one suitcase and 10 dollars. She left high school with $140,000 worth of scholarships and four full rides, including the SFU Uggla Family Scholarship and the Beedie Luminaries Scholarship. Rassell Labash is currently attending Simon Fraser University on a full-ride scholarship, pursuing her dreams of going to medical school and becoming a pediatric doctor, and on the weekends, she supports her family, her community, and her loved ones.

At one point, Rassell used to cry to go home to Syria. Now, Rassell believes, “You can create community, and that is where home is at.”