Biography
Yonah Martin (born April 11, 1965) is a Conservative Senator from British Columbia. She was appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and is the first Canadian of Korean descent to hold federal public office.
A professional educator for over twenty-one years, Yonah Martin graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1987 and taught English and Drama at W.J. Mouat Secondary School in Abbotsford, BC from 1987-2001. She earned a Master of Education degree in 1996, and upon leaving Abbotsford, went on to teach at Burnaby Secondary School; and finally moved to Coquitlam where she taught English, Social Studies and French at Moody Middle, Scott Creek Middle and Banting Middle Schools until her Senate appointment, effective January 2, 2009.
Born in Seoul, Korea, Yonah immigrated to Canada with her family in 1972, settling in Vancouver. With deep roots in both Korean and Canadian heritage, she became a prominent community figure in 2003 when she co-founded a non-profit organization, the Corean Canadian Coactive (C3) Society (www.c3society.org).
Yonah currently serves on several other boards and committees, including the Multicultural Advisory Council of BC (since 2006). She is a proud alumnae and honorary patron of the St. Patrick Regional Secondary School Concert and Chamber Choirs. She has been part of the organizing committee for the annual Korean Heritage Day Festival since 2003; and produced a dramatic musical called Rush for the 9th Annual Port Moody Festival of the Arts. She coordinated the translation of the script and lyrics from Korean to English, a labour intensive process that took months of dedication and effort. In recognition of her community service in the Tri-Cities area, Yonah Martin was awarded the 2004 Spirit of Community Award for Cultural Harmony. Additionally, she was awareded the Order of Civil Merit Moran Medal on October 9th, 2009 by the Republic of Korea for her outstanding work in national development towards the enhancement of the rights of overseas Koreans.
In addition to her passion for festivals, arts and culture, Yonah is equally passionate about mentoring youth and young adults. She has spoken at conferences/events in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Ottawa. She is a mentor of the Executive Mentorship Program of the Sauder School of Business and additonally, has mentored a group of young leaders to launch two exciting programs called Youth Can Lead (www.youthcanlead.ca) and the Canada Korea (CK) Club.
She has been married to Doug Martin since 1990 and they are proud parents of their daughter, Kiana, who has been Yonah's inspiration to lead by example and accept the call to serve in the Senate of Canada.