Mah, Jan
Jan Mah (née Wong) is a third generation Chinese Canadian. Her parents were part-owners and operators of the Sunrise Drive-in Restaurant from 1956 to the 1970s, one the first Chinese restaurants with carhop service in Calgary, Alberta. Growing up, Jan worked at the restaurant’s dairy bar and also immersed herself in community and social activities. She led a busy work life, becoming the first woman to recruit for executive positions at a recruiting firm. In addition to raising her son and establishing a career, Jan has been an active contributor to Calgary’s Sien Lok Society as Lifetime Honourary Director and President. Jan resided in Calgary at the time of the interview.
“You have to look at each person as an individual, not […] say this class of person can do this and this class of person can do that.”
In this clip, Jan Mah recalls when her employer, Telus, hired a second Chinese Canadian person based on their positive experiences with Jan, who was their first Chinese Canadian employee. Jan told them that it was a mistake to make assumptions about a person’s ability based on their race.
/ 
