By Brandi Thring

TRU alum Tanya Thomas (MBA ’16) was raised in a tropical city with a population that’s nearly half that of Canada: Mumbai, India. She now lives in a subarctic town of less than 4,000 people: Inuvik, N.W.T. And she is embracing the adventure.

“I don’t think I can live in a super busy big city anymore,” she says. “It’s a different life up here, but there are perks to it. The sunsets are gorgeous — and the people are so warm and welcoming.”

Before Thomas’s adventurous spirit took her to the N.W.T., it led her to TRU in pursuit of an MBA, marking the start of her independent life far from family and friends.

“My parents, Annie Thomas and Thomas Varghese, and brother Dennis Thomas, have been my biggest cheerleaders,” she says. “Their encouragement gave me the confidence to take chances, embrace challenges and carve my own path.”

At TRU, Thomas grew academically, developed deep friendships and explored opportunities to promote cultural diversity. She produced a study on the impact of intercultural communication on a multicultural team, using the iceberg theory as an analogy.

“Diversity is like an iceberg,” she says. “What we see on the surface, such as race, ethnicity, gender and religion, is just a small part of it. Beneath the surface lies a vast and complex foundation of factors like communication style, work style, economic status and organizational role, all of which shape how we interact and collaborate.”

Adventurous spirit leads to winding career path

Upon completing her MBA, Thomas’s professional journey took her to Prince George, B.C., where she worked as a sales co-ordinator in the hotel industry. This introduced her to the nuances of small-town northern life. Her next move to Vanderhoof, B.C., marked the beginning of her human resources career. She joined Advanced Millwright Services, a family-owned business that works with mills, mines and construction firms.

In Prince George, Thomas also met the man who would become her husband, Steven Parker. He encouraged her to take chances and believe in her abilities.

“My husband has been a huge support system,” she says, adding that when she contemplated applying for a senior human resources (HR) position in Williams Lake, his enthusiasm gave her the push she needed. “Jumping to a senior management HR role takes years and years to build up, but he was like, ‘You can easily do that job.’”

With Parker’s encouragement, Thomas accepted a position with the Williams Lake First Nation and the couple set off on their next adventure.

In Williams Lake, Thomas was first introduced to Indigenous governance and the challenges that Indigenous communities face in integrating HR structures. Her passion for HR and Indigenous governance later led her to MNP, where she worked as a consultant supporting Indigenous governments across Canada. However, the remote nature of the job left her yearning for more hands-on engagement. When she learned of a position in Inuvik with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, she was intrigued.

“I was nervous in the beginning, but the friendly and welcoming nature of the community made it easy to feel at home,” she said, adding that 24-hour summer sunlight and community gardens are highlights of northern living, along with community events like Ethiopian, Indian and Filipino cooking nights that reflect the town’s multicultural spirit and provide a sense of belonging in spite of the remote setting.

“I didn’t expect life to unfold in the way it has, but I’m super grateful for the opportunities and the friendships that I’ve built.”

Thomas now serves in an operational HR role, mentoring and coaching team members while continuing to strengthen human resources frameworks within Indigenous organizations. Her desire to build connections between cultures remains an integral part of her vision to create positive change through kind and purpose-driven leadership. In recognition of her commitment to leading with kindness, Thomas was the recipient of a 2024 HR Spotlight from the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources BC and Yukon.

“Receiving the HR Spotlight Award was a deeply humbling moment,” she says. “It reinforced my commitment to leading with kindness and purpose and felt like a milestone in my journey to create meaningful change in HR — fostering positive, supportive spaces where people feel valued.”

After just over a year of living in Inuvik, Thomas is excited she’ll soon be hosting her parents for a visit. They’re all looking forward to dipping their toes in the Arctic Ocean and showing off the certificate they’ll receive for their brrrr-avery.