DP World Canada celebrates our very own Dielle Pinto, who recently traveled to Goa, India to participate in the World Scrabble Championships. This was her third time competing in the worldwide word competition.
Growing Up in a Scrabble Family
Dielle grew up in a family of Scrabble players. Her parents got hooked on the game when the family lived in Dubai, and over the years, all three children have joined their parents in playing competitively. In fact, Dielle recalls one memorable adventure involving a drive from Vancouver, BC to Rhode Island, USA for a tournament—quite the road trip!
Scrabble has always been part of family life for Dielle. Her brother began playing when he was nine years old, and soon was beating adults at games in Dubai. Dielle and her sister began playing once the family moved to Canada. She was competing by the age of twelve and won her age bracket at her first significant tournament in San Diego, California at the age of thirteen. “I won a thousand dollars, and that kind of got me hooked. I’ve been playing ever since,” Dielle says.
Representing Canada in the World Scrabble Championships
Dielle is no stranger to international Scrabble competition. She has represented Canada in championship tournaments in Malaysia and Poland in the past. Reconnecting with Scrabble-loving friends from around the world at this year’s competition in Goa, India was a fond and memorable experience for Dielle.
The location was particularly special for Dielle because both her parents are originally from Goa. In her words, “To play in your parents’ homeland is a pretty neat opportunity.” In fact, it was that possibility which brought Dielle back to competitive Scrabble after a few years away (focusing on other things, such as her work with DP World and the forthcoming birth of her first child). Dielle’s parents and sister joined her in Goa for the tournament, along with her brother, Dean Saldanha, who also competed for Canada.
Players from 31 countries competed in 32 games over the course of four days, culminating in the final match between the top two players. Dielle played well, but ultimately the championship went to New Zealander, Nigel Richards.
Dielle and DP World Canada
When she’s not playing Scrabble, Dielle Pinto is a Human Resources Advisor for DP World Canada. She began working with us in January 2019 and feels DP World Canada is “an awesome place to work.” Dielle particularly appreciates the wellness opportunities that contribute to our inclusive and engaging company culture. Employees can suggest programmes for the whole team to get involved in, such as snowshoeing trips or Spanish language lessons. Perhaps she will organize a Scrabble tournament for us in 2020?
To learn more about the competition, visit the Championship website. Keep an eye out for other talented people from DP World Canada in their respective elements.