Communications Advisor | zhenai@youngdiplomats.ca

Zhenai Xiao is a communications and advocacy professional with a background in psychology from Montréal, Québec. She is quadrilingual—fluent in English, French, Mandarin, and Spanish. Her passion for relationship building and her recognition of the importance of effective communication has led her to currently reside in Cameroon where she works with the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training (MINEFOP) on strategic communications capacity building as part of Canada's international development assistance efforts.

Zhenai was first introduced to diplomacy, advocacy, and leadership through her involvement in Model United Nations during her CEGEP years, which culminated in her chairing a simulation of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) hosted by the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. She has since pursued this passion through her master’s degree in communications, during which she held an internship at the U.S. Consulate General Montreal in the Public Diplomacy section. Prior to her specialization in this field, Zhenai was deeply committed to the study of psychology that led her to occupy multiple research positions, including at University College London (UCL) during her exchange semester in London, as well as volunteer in numerous initiatives such as mentorship programs at the Batshaw Youth and Family Centres and the McGill University Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD).

Through her involvement with YDC, Zhenai aims to amplify the diverse yet united voices of Canadian youth on the global scene. She believes that governments worldwide are seeking to understand this new generation of leaders and that these youth should be supported in ways that empower them to share their perspectives on topics which matter to them and affect them. She hopes to bridge this gap by drawing on her knowledge in communications and psychology to contribute to the initiatives spearheaded by YDC.

Zhenai holds an M.A. in Communications with a concentration in Public Relations from Université Laval and a B.A. in Psychology with a double minor in Sociology and Behavioural Sciences from McGill University.