Conquering the Cold.

(From Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Byline: Annie Gorra Rago

FILIPINO-Canadian Maria Venida goes where only the bold-hearted of immigrants go: the Arctic. At the northern edge of Canada facing the Arctic Ocean lies Nunavut, the newly-minted 10th province of Canada and home to the Inuit, an aboriginal people. Winters in this vast whiteness can drop to -40 degrees Centigrade, and the cold can cut like a knife. It's one place that will chill the heart of even the most winter-inured person.

Venida served as the chief financial officer and, at times, acting president of the $300-million Nunavut Housing Company, a government organization that provides housing to the people of Nunavut. The CFO position is the highlight of a career that began in Manila and spanned the East and West Coasts of Canada. Venida's resume reads like a travel itinerary: Manila, Vancouver, Toronto, Yellowknife (Vancouver), Mississauga, and Nunavut with a few side trips to New York thrown in.

Each place represents a milestone in an immigrant's journey that started in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1969 with $50 and two suitcases. Thirty-three years later, this Filipino immigrant commands a six-figure salary and holds …