GreenBook Future List Spotlight: Laarni Paras

GRIT Future List honoree, Laarni Paras shares how she pays it forward.

by Greenbook Team

Outside of insights, what are your passions and interests?

Before insights, I worked in women’s rights so that area remains a strong passion of mine. This certainly helped me in bringing empathy and diverse perspectives in my research work, especially in methodology design and insights.

As an immigrant, access to opportunities can change your life significantly. I make it a priority to give back to my community as well as elevating diverse voices in any way I can. I go back to my college every year as a mentor as a way to pay forward the mentorship I’ve received throughout my career. The uprising of marginalized groups in 2020 further strengthened my dedication to increasing diversity in all aspects of my work and community involvement.

Who is your career role model or source of inspiration?

My parents and other immigrant families.

They grew up in the aftermath of war and later on, decades-long dictatorship. Yet they persevered and got us to Canada for a better life. These brilliant, resilient, innovative minds faced many of the barriers including undocumented work, underemployment, racism, poverty to name a few. And yet, here we are, children of immigrants thriving despite all those odds. They taught me unbelievable work ethic, utmost resilience, and the hunger for learning at any stage in your life. They gave me the gift of curiosity that has served me well in my research career.

To all the immigrant parents and families who cross continents and oceans and borders, maraming salamat po.

When did you know you wanted to enter a career in insights, and what inspired you?

I started out in community-based research and I wanted to move into the corporate world for better career opportunities. I attended an event for Women in Advertising and I was glued to the keynote speaker’s presentation the entire time. It wasn’t boring presentation of research findings. It was exciting, inspiring, and also beautifully designed. I was also inspired by the speaker herself – I saw what could be possible for me years down the road. Never underestimate the power of representation.