03/12/2026
This past Tuesday evening, something extraordinary took place in Kingston.
During the celebration of the 10th KNB gathering, a new event style emerged, setting the tone, energy, and colours for our future gatherings.
Since it began, I’ve seen KNB move through many phases.
At first, it offered companionship and encouragement to attend networking events around Kingston. For international students and newcomers, it became a space to learn how to navigate our new lives and careers here.
Later, KNB hosted its own events, welcoming everyone new to Kingston who was struggling to adapt. Sharing the spirit of KNB with others was deeply rewarding. Now, I feel that KNB has rediscovered itself.
After a few months back home, deepening my clinical practice and reuniting with my family, I returned to Kingston with a renewed heart and spirit.
Around that time, Gail shared a new vision for KNB with me, one that would evolve with us. She had been studying, reading, and speaking with mentors, and I trusted her insight.
Her idea immediately resonated with me and aligned with my values, beliefs, and aspirations.
We wanted something more intimate, with real connection: no elevator pitches, no need to dress up, no pressure to show your “best” self.
You are welcomed exactly as you are that day, with all your complexity and struggles.
Every facet of you is welcome here, in a respectful and kind environment.
This is a place where we don’t aim to fix or advise. We choose to be fully present and share what is real for us today.
For me, this felt like the right next step for KNB, and I was eager to see how everything would unfold.
After many meetings and brainstorming sessions, the KNB team created what we felt was the right format.
We sent invitations and limited the spots to keep things close and intimate, like a circle of friends.
The outcome of this gathering went beyond tears, laughter, support, and connection.
It also included singing, dancing, face painting, sharing traditions and cultural legacies, telling life stories, and offering whatever each person wanted to bring that evening.
The photos from that night capture only a glimpse of the warmth in that space and the light of the souls who were there.
It felt like a night of miracles, when dreams felt not only possible, but already in motion, simply because we chose to be together in a space grounded in our shared values.
I am deeply excited about what comes next for KNB.
Thank you to all the wonderful souls who chose to step into this journey with us.
I hope it was a beautiful surprise and a positive influence in each person’s life on that special night we created together.
A special thank you to Gail Manigsaca for envisioning this idea and trusting me to bring it to life with her;
Ara Leslie Acdal for her delicious Spanish bread;
and the wonderful Lisa V Macdonald MBA, CHRL, CCS, who generously opened her space and so wisely hosted and facilitated our gathering!
Mariana 💛
--Thank you to these beatiful human beings who made the gathering so special and memorable:
Ada Ko
Annah Karenina Arnold
Apoorva Bhardwaj
Estrella Madrigal-Gumbao
Jergen Samson
(Pastor) Edgar Nunes
Raj Vyas
Ravi Vyas
