2015 Avenue Edmonton

Global Woman of Vision: Harriet Tinka

Harriet Tinka is afraid of heights. So, last year, she rappelled 28 floors down the Scotia Place skyscraper in downtown Edmonton for an Easter Seals fundraiser.

 

Harriet Tinka is afraid of heights. So, last year, she rappelled 28 floors down the Scotia Place skyscraper in downtown Edmonton for an Easter Seals fundraiser. Last month, she dropped 15 feet through a ring of fire in San Bernadino, Calif. while competing in the Tough Mudder, a 12-mile military obstacle race. And, last July, she and her brother competed in the grueling Canadian Death Race, a 124 kilometre ultra-marathon relay held in the foothills of Grande Cache, Alberta.

Tinka thrives on challenging herself physically and mentally.

“I’m not competitive at all,” jokes the 40-year old as she stands in front of dozens of medals, some of them gold, that she’s earned at various competitions. “Every year, I challenge myself to something new, and I want to get better every time. That’s how you build success.”

Tinka’s family came to Edmonton from Kenya when she was 14 years old.“My parents moved with seven kids and four suitcases,” she says. “They said that, if anything, we had each other, and the most important thing is your education. Being seven of us, the chances of us going to university in Kenya were slim to none because, at the time, there were only two universities there. So, when Tinka was approached on Whyte Avenue by a woman representing a modeling agency, her mother was against it. She wanted her daughter to become a doctor, and refused a second time when she learned how much modeling lessons would cost. But her daughter persisted.

“I researched modeling and, every Sunday, watched a show on modeling with Iman, a top model at that time. I wanted to be like her and pretended to be a model walking on the runway,” laughs Tinka. “And then the lady from the modeling agency called back and said, ‘We believe in her so much we are going to pay everything for her.’ So I studied, went to different agencies and went on to New York for the International Modeling and Talent Association.”

Tinka modeled for 12 years. It was an exciting time, meeting new people and exploring different cultures. But she also learned to have a thick skin.

“I’m five foot nine and 110 pounds,” says Tinka. “But I remember seeing a photo of me where they stretched me and made me look smaller. So I began to think that maybe they don’t like me for who I am. A lot of young people see these pictures and want to be like that. But that’s not reality. It creates low self-esteem.”

Tinka left modeling to study accounting at the University of Calgary when a fellow classmate, who had become a friend, started acting strangely and losing his temper. He then stabbed her in the finger and was charged. But it didn’t stop the torment. She says that, one day, he waited for her and insisted she get in his car — even though he was out on bail and not supposed to have contact with her. When she walked away, he grabbed her by the hair, hit her head on the vehicle and pushed her inside. He drove to a car dealership and smashed vehicle windows with a baseball bat. He told Tinka that next time, he would do that to her. Then he stopped the car at a phone booth and told Tinka to call her parents to tell them they would never see her again.

“I wouldn’t do it and he got very angry,” recalls Tinka. “He said, ‘I have a rope, a knife and some gasoline. I’m going to wrap your body up with the rope, cut you in pieces and spill gasoline on you and no one will ever find you.’ When I refused again, he took a knife from the glove compartment and stabbed me in the leg. Blood was gushing everywhere.”

Tinka passed out and he left her there to die. The next thing she remembers is waking up in the Foothills Hospital.  (Note: This story has been verified by searching court documents)

“I’m walking and feeling sorry for myself, and I see this positive-looking young girl in a wheelchair,” Tinka continues. “She told me she was in a car accident that killed her parents, and that she would be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. It got me thinking that I’m so lucky to be alive. That was my turning point.”

The assailant was convicted and was sentenced to two years less a day in jail.

Tinka was asked to do some teaching for a modeling school and saw many young girls who came in thinking they’d become supermodels.  There was so much negativity and so many unrealistic expectations that weren’t good for girls and young women.  So Tinka decided to start a not-for-profit organization called “Empowered Youth”, with workshops for youth.

“I love it,” says Tinka. “Because it’s all about empowering young people and helping them to be the best versions of themselves. We basically complement what they are already teaching in school, things like self-esteem, communication, time management, money sense, setting goals and overcoming obstacles.”

Tinka now gets so many requests for her workshops that she’s brought on a partner.  She juggles this along with raising three children, working as a senior accountant with the City of Edmonton and volunteering. She’s been the United Way Campaign Chair for the city for the last two years and volunteers with the Lurana Women’s Shelter and with Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

“My three-year-old daughter and I spent an hour putting kits together for Little Warriors’ Be Brave,” says Tinka. “And she looked at me and said ‘Volunteering is fun.’  It’s exciting to see that from a three-year old. It’s a ripple effect. I’m always looking for ways to help the community. It’s about knowing you’ve made a difference.”

“I feel like I’m retired,” she adds.  “When people retire, that’s when they do what they enjoy.  I can’t wait to wake up in the morning and see what difference I can make.”

http://www.avenueedmonton.com/May-2015/Global-Woman-of-Vision-Harriet-Tinka/

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