Benita Ikirezi

CGEE Project Assistant

Benita is a Rwandan graduate student at the University of British Columbia in the School of Community and Regional Planning. Before moving to Canada, she completed her undergraduate degree in Growth and Structure of Cities in the USA and briefly worked for the City of Philadelphia. 

Her academic and professional journey has involved collaborating with diverse communities in the US, Rwanda, and Canada. At UBC, Benita actively advocates for the Black community in Metro Vancouver, working to highlight challenges to housing access and support their efforts to reclaim and rebuild culturally significant spaces in the city.

Benita is passionate about promoting for equitable access to resources, using urban planning to address environmental issues and social disparities, and creating inclusive spaces. She is fluent in Kinyarwanda, French, and English and utilizes her multicultural background to bridge cultural gaps and foster collaboration.