Groundbreaking fitness instructor, devoted principal among latest 5 Sask. CBC Future 40 winner

Meet the last fivewinners of2020's CBC Future 40.This fantasticgroup includes a groundbreaking fitness instructor, a devoted principal and several others who are making the province a brighter place to live.

The finalists were chosen from a larger pool of nominees by a panel of judges composed of CBC Future40 alumni.

Each day fromDec. 2 to 6we'll announce anothergroup of theof40 finalists.

• Check out the first group of 2020 CBC Future 40 winners here
• Check out the second group of 2020 CBC Future 40 winners here
• Check out the third group of 2020 CBC Future 40 winners here
• Check out the fourth group of 2020 CBC Future 40 winners here

Allof the nominations below were written by members of the public and have been edited for length and clarity.Additionally, CBC provided all finalists with the opportunity to respond to their CBC Future 40 win in a questionnaire. Select answers from theseappear below.

Jenn Denouden

Category: Business, Entrepreneurship and Economy

Age: 33

CBC:How does what you do make a difference in our community?

Jenn Denouden:The work that Avana does makes a difference in our community in several different ways. We have grown a great team and create many jobs and opportunities for trades and suppliers. We are also passionate about giving back to the community through direct support and financial contributions.

Avana is committed to building attainable, safeand quality housing to help women and children escape domestic abuse. Safe housing is a right, not a privilege.

Jenn's nomination:Jenn Denouden is the 33-year-old CEO of Avana, a purpose-driven real estate enterprise that is dedicated to building affordable housing in Saskatchewan. Avana ranked 10th on the 2020 Growth List compiled by Canadian Business and Maclean's, making it the second Saskatchewan-based company to make the Top 10 in the list's history (the first-ever female-led from the province).

While her company has experienced record-breaking growth (9888 per centover the last five years with $200 million in assets under management), Jenn's vision goes beyond profit. She anchors her company in a mandate of social good through the development of affordable housing units that help to support women and children fleeing domestic violence. With Saskatchewan leading national domestic violence statistics, providing access to safe housing became a mission for Jenn.

As a young, female leader, she is mindful about using her platform to raise awareness and funds, and has supported organizations like the YWCA, Walk a Mile Regina, and most recently the Regina Food Bank with a donation of 100,000 meals. Having had to break barriers and a glass ceiling or two in a male-dominated industry, Jenn is an advocate for equality and female-empowerment and is making it her life's work to build a better community and province for her young kids to experience.

Topaza Yu

Category: Social Activism, Volunteerism

Age: 20

CBC:Tell us the moment you realized your work was successful.

Topaza Yu:There have always been small victories that I try to recognize and celebrate throughout my work.

There are two instances that I remember vividly. The first one being when I was at Action Canada's second in-person meeting for the NYAB and the program co-ordinator told the NYAB that our national STI testing campaign reached 34 million young people in Canada.

The second instance was when a staff member from READ Saskatoon emailed me about how grateful families were to receive a CovidPac. Both moments were truly unforgettable and makes me reflect on why I continue to do what I do to serve others in whatever way possible.

Topaza's nomination:Topaza Yu has been actively involved in youth empowerment and sexual rights and reproductive health for more thanthreeyears. She is currently on Action Canada's teamfor Sexual Rights and Health: National Youth Advisory Board, where she has advised and guided one national, and three regional campaigns to de-stigmatize STI testing among youth.

Topaza is also the founder of CovidPacs, which is funded by the Canada Service Corp and TakingItGlobal: Rising Youth Alumni Grant. CovidPacs are care packages that contain youth-friendly and education-based activity resources for families with children who are currently attending school or adapting to an alternative method of schooling like virtual classes at home.

Understanding and experiencing the impact of COVID-19 on education firsthand, CovidPacs aims to alleviate some of the stresses associated with families who struggle to find accessible and informative educational activities during this pandemic and the school year. She aims to distribute around 150 more care-packages for Saskatoon families in need.

Topaza's dedication to serve her community and to be a humanitarian is reflected through her dedication to not only improve her local Saskatoon community through volunteering but to create a positive and long-lasting impact for everyone who is a part of her initiatives. She has a strong sense of curiosity and is not afraid to explore innovative ways to be the best humanitarian that she can be.

Carla Bernier

Category: Education

Age: 39

CBC:How does what you do make a difference in our community?

Carla Bernier:Making a difference in the community I love and choose to reside is very important to me. As most people know, educators serve many roles. I encourage, advocate, mentor and model for students, teachers, support staff and families. I get to do all of this great work under the umbrella of being a teacher, and more specifically, a vice principal of a large high school.

My real passion, the thing that gets me to work each day no matter what, is how I can do this work for Mtisand First Nation people. Showing and promoting empathy is key in all the work I do. The Battlefords and area is a very diverse community and our schoolreplicatesthis diversity. Assisting in promoting differences and the richness that these differences bringto all and achieving academic parity between FNM students and non-FNM students is the hallmark of what drives me to grind it out each day.

Carla's nomination:Carla Bernier is a leading education expert in Saskatchewan. The first female vice principal and first Indigenous female vice principal at North Battleford Comprehensive High School, she has made enormous strides in every room she enters.

She is a Lead to Learn author and provincial facilitator. This task force was a response to the Truth and Reconciliation's Calls to Action and to make a positive impact on Mtis, First Nations and Inuit students. Educators from provincial systems and First Nations education organizations worked together to create capacity-building professional learning opportunities for all in-school administrators across the province. This innovative work continues to reach parity for FNMI and Non-FNMI education and achievement.

She is an active member of the representative workforce for the Living Sky School Division. She passionately continues building connections and relationships with other First Nation and MtisEntities and families. Carla has been part of a team in Saskatchewan that doubled its FNMI grad rates. She remains a staunch supporter of FNMI students and is a friendly face whom families reach out to everyday.

She is a mother of two and an active member in the community. Past volunteer experience includes the United Way, Minor Hockey, Community Conversationsand advocating for FNMI families. From humble beginnings, she turned to education and overcame many barriers in life to be the Saskatchewan education leader she is today. She has a story to share that builds resilience, hope and change in her students and staff.

Melanie Monique Rose

Category: Arts, Culture and Entertainment

Age: 39

CBC:How does it feel to know you're succeeding?

Melanie Monique Rose:It makes me feel powerful and that all I need to do is work hard, give back and and assert my "spot at the table."

Melanie's nomination:Melanie Monique Rose is a visual artist from Treaty 4 territoryand a long-time contributing member of Skwwak Artists' Collective Inc. Her greatest honour was to receive the distinction of Excellence in Textiles in the SCC Dimension's 2013 touring show.

In addition to showing her work, Melaniehas worked in the province as gallery facilitator, story-keeperand art instructor for the Mackenzie Art Gallery. In addition, she teaches various workshops at both public and private institutions.

Melanie's most recent solo exhibition, called TheFlower People, is derived from the name TheFlower Beadwork People, a name given to the Mtis who are well-known for their floral beadwork. Felted pieces, combined with the use of collected blankets, create a canvas for her personal exploration of identity as a contemporary Indigenous Artist, alongside her Ukrainian heritage. Her floral imagery invokes stories of people, placeand the land.

One of Rose's latest pieces, Summer Sleeping, is both a social and political message. It is a love letter and a wake-up call to and from Mother Nature. Melanie strongly believes that Indigenous representation matters. She believes to heal both us and the land we need to Indigenize andcreate opportunities for both settlers and non-settler people to hear ourstories.

Through her art-making and teaching, Melanie wishes to do her part in dismantling racist systems and wake up those who are still sleeping. Because of this,I believe Melanie is a future leader a Future 40.

Zack Yanyk

Category: Sports and Recreation

Age: 27

CBC:What does it mean to be acknowledged for your endeavour?

Zack Yanyk:To be acknowledged for my endeavour, to me, means that all the hours spent alone, all the hours grinding away, all the time spent away from friends and family hasn't gone unnoticed and unappreciated. People have noticed and they appreciate what I've done. For that I am so thankful, I would do it anyways but to know I'm not truly alone in those moments is incredible.

Zack's nomination:After discovering the steel mace in March of 2017, Regina's Zack Yanyk was hooked. So hookedthat he founded Warrior Flow Fitness and started teaching steel mace classes three months later.

The steel mace is a medieval training tool that consists of a long steel rod capped with a ball. In June 2019, Zack opened Canada's first-ever dedicated steel mace studio. Warrior Flow's mission is to help people find beauty in their movement practice and work on their internal self as they work out their external self.

Warrior Flow is home to Canada's largest Steel Mace Competition. Many of Zack's students have set Canadian records. In two years, the coaching staff at Warrior Flow has grown from just Zack, to five coaches. In addition to teaching live and online classes for students in Regina, Zack teaches students online from all over the world (United States, United Kingdom, Mexico, Israel, Brazil, and Hungary).

Zack is a highly sought after steel mace educator who has also taught workshops and run certifications throughout North America and overseas in locations including Winnipeg, Denver, Austin, Las Vegas, Miami, New York City, Liverpooland Cologne,Germany).

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Zack pivoted his business by moving to an entirely online platform until Warrior Flow could reopen its doors, ensuring a brand new workout every day for students. The studio continues to provide online and in-person options for our students to keep them healthy and safe, while providing much needed movement medicine.