Born in Liberia, Leo Nupolu Johnson lived through nearly a decade of civil war before fleeing to refugee camps in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. Resettling in Canada in 2006, as a government-sponsored refugee, Leo, who had completed his high school education in the refugee camps, gained acceptance to McMaster University. In his second year, just one year after his arrival in Canada, he founded CURE Canada (now Empowerment Squared), with the goal of creating pathways for young people to access education and opportunity. Under Leo’s leadership, the organization has assisted over 10,000 newcomer youth and families with settling in Canada.

Leo’s work has been recognized for its impact all over the world. He has received the Albert Lager Prize for Student Leadership in 2011, John C Holland Award for Youth Leadership and Excellence and the YMCA Peace Medal, been named one of the Hamilton Spectator’s Top Forty Under 40 and one of the top 75 immigrants in Canada, he also served as guest lecturer in the University of Toronto’s Global Health course. He was awarded the World Citizenship Award by the City of Hamilton in 2014, Gandhi Peace Award, McMaster University Global Community Impact Award, and the Afroglobal TV 2018 Visionary Award. In 2019, Leo was one of 14 people selected globally as a United Nations Fellow for the International Decade for People of African Descent.