SFU students lead way for Top 25 Under 25

Winners of the Surrey Board of Trade's Top 25 Under 25 have been chosen based on their business or community achievements, leadership ability, and community involvement, amongst other criteria.
Marco Ianuzzi, who is a Harvard graduate, investment advisor, philatrophist and a Grey Cup champion, will be the keynote speaker at the reception on May 28th.
Tanya Fletcher from News1130 is the Master of Ceremonies. The ceremony will take place at Eaglequest Golf Course.

Co-presenting sponsors are Kwantlen Polytechnic University and Simon Fraser University.

Click link to view photos of winners: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/eg4nxft28e7pu92/AADyZU2QbzEIGWMW4lazIfKga?oref=e&n=167662576
Courtesy Surrey Board of Trade

For more information go to www.surreyboardoftrade.com.

Angus Lin
Angus Lin co-founded a community campaign called ‘Think Forward, Think Recycling’ in order stress the importance of recycling of all material. Through Facebook, the community shares and accesses resources for recycling projects. Lin maintains a 99% cumulative average in Grade 12. She is enrolled in the rigorous Science Academy program at Fraser Heights Secondary School. She is a concurrent studies student at Simon Fraser University. Her leadership in the LEO Club, Environment Club and Global Green Alliance, the hospital and other fundraisers show her tenacious drive to challenge the status-quo in order to make things better for her community.

Deepak Sharma
As an elected SFU Surrey Campus Liason and board director, Deepak Sharma has worked to create and maintain relationships with the City of Surrey, Surrey Board of Trade, SFU Surrey Administration, SFU Surrey Students, and Central City Safeway. He advocated for the YES side in regards to the current Transit Plebiscite. Sharma attends stakeholder meetings with the City of Surrey, arranges Transit rallies and student fairs, and hosts meetings with student representatives from the Lower Mainland. Since Sharma has been re-elected, he will be helping to organize the first ever TEDXSURREY conference.

Felicia Rafael
Felicia Rafael founded “Beneath One Sky”. She also actively engages peers in discussions about sustainable solutions to poverty. As President, she collects donations and spreads the word about her organization. She also manages finances and creates budgets. As a Recreation Worker for the City of Langley, she was the recipient of the SASSY Award for Community Service in 2013. Rafael graduated in 2013 from SFU with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, an extended minor in Humanities and a certificate in Social Justice. Rafael was accepted into the JET Programme. She will work as an English as a second language teacher for one year in Japan.

Neil Dubord
After a visit from Chief Neil Dubord of the Transit Police at the SFU Surrey Campus, Jeremy Pearce he suggested that civilian volunteers provide an overall presence during peak periods. In January, the Transit Chief Council approved a pilot program for a year. Pearce was rewarded for his plan. While he was a student-athlete at SFU, he received several awards including the Terry Fox Award for overcoming adversity the Big Brother of the Year Nominee, and the Victor V. Spencer Award in Football. He also founded a community outreach program called “SFU Team Up” that has fundraised $20,000 for local charities.

Jessica Kim
A gifted musician, Kim founded Musician Impact Network Society (MINS) to enhance the lives of vulnerable populations by providing music performance services to residential care facilities in the Fraser Health Authority. MINS is offered in Surrey and Langley. It will soon be expanding in the province due to its success. Kim is the Social Media Director on the Executive Council at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) – Simon Fraser University Chapter. She works growing the program to ensure that everyone can feel the joy of music.

Kanwalnain Grewal
Grewal is a radio host on “Red” 93.1 FM on a show called “Sade Bache Sada Virsa” which discusses important topics such as academic success, bullying, environmental responsibility, community involvement, multiculturalism, and career planning. In her program, she invites youth to express their views on the show. She has spent more than 1,000 hours on this show. Grewal was in an international documentary project, “Shoot for the Moon.” It features her efforts to maintain multiculturalism in the community and to connect with the youth. She is studying at the Beedie School of Business (SFU), and is on the Dean’s Honour Roll.

Kiran Toor
Founder and Executive Director of KidsPlay, Kiran Toor, wants to address the issues of gangs, violence and drugs in Surrey. She created the sports activities and community projects to keep them busy and keep the on a straight path. Surrey RCMP and local community leaders support her vision. The organization has over 100 volunteers. Toor has helped raise more than $100,000 for various causes. After graduating from Semiahmoo Secondary, Kiran is now attending KPU working towards her Bachelor’s of Arts, however, she will be transferring to SFU this upcoming fall to complete her degree.

Lourence Singh
This Sauder School of Business graduate has been working in the financial department of SOAR Philanthropic Society as “Executive Sponsorship Specialist.” Lourence Singh advocates on behalf of the organization to help provide students opportunities to receive scholarships and other forms of financial aid to attend a post secondary institution. Singh is a young entrepreneur who has an importing business known as, “LorCorp Canada.” He also has volunteered as executive with “SoapForHope”, which is a local organization that works on providing innovative hand soap to local restaurants at a lower price in comparison to the competition. 

Rhythm Tang
Tang has demonstrated leadership skills in the product development for the Hunger Actions program at Enactus SFU Surrey. The program focuses on financial literacy, nutrition and cooking skills. She is a second-year-business student at SFU. Tang received the Gordon M. Shrum Major Entrance Scholarship to SFU, the SFU Venture Co-op 2014 Fall Placement, the Lord Strathcona Medal and the Gold Level Duke of Edinburgh Award. Tang achieved the rank of Warrant Officer First Class at a local Air Cadet Squadron. She was the Top Non-Commissioned Officer in BC in 2013. She was one of the top 6 cadets in Canada in 2014. 

Ridge Pinto
At young age, Ridge Pinto has already achieved so much. He won a bronze medal for Team Surrey in the Western Challenge Ball Hockey Championships at 17. He is the youngest person to be hired by FINTRAC (Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada) at 18. Pinto interned with Canadian Security Intelligence Service in Ottawa. He studies at SFU and is a Teaching Assistant. Pinto received a national “Royal Bank of Canada Students Leading Change” Scholarship. Pinto will be working for Microsoft this summer. He is part of “Be A Hero” campaign, which raised more than $6,500 for the Canadian Cancer Society.

Rizwan Qaiser
Rizwan Qaiser is a fourth year Management Informations Systems and Entrepreneurship & Innovation Student at SFU Surrey. He sees students’ needs to work across disciplines. He is a founding member of SFU’s Interdisciplinary Entrepreneurship Association (IdEA). He has also helped design and facilitate innovating courses as a Teaching Assistant and as a Curriculum Development Assistant. Qaiser also participated in Beedie’s first Semester In Innovation with exchange students from Grenoble Ecole de Management. Rizwan will be graduating with a BBA from SFU in October 2015 with concentrations in Management Information Systems and Entrepreneurship and Innovation, along with a certificate in Business Technology Management.

Sean Warwick
Sean Warwick created a partnership with SFU called, “The AFK” (Away From Keyboard) game development symposium. By gaining support and sponsorships from some of the local games companies, Warwick provided an opportunity for students to showcase their games to a panel of game designers and developers. Warwick is an undergraduate student in the School of Interactive Arts and Technology. He has designed several games through his time at SFU including simple children’s exploration games, 3D immersive environments, and morality-based games with numerous narrative endings. He is enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts degree in Interactive Arts & Technology from SFU. 

Shantelle Medel
Shantelle Medel is a role model who created a program known as, “Beneath One Sky” (BOS) in her final year of high school. It is a local, nonprofit organization that brings awareness and funding for poverty internationally. Aside from being the Vice President of BOS, she founded The Backpack Run. She also founded the Walk and Learn Program, which aims to bridge the gab for isolated seniors and English as Second Language students. She will graduate in 2016 from SFU with a Bachelor’s of Science in Hours Health Science with a minor in Gerontology.

Photos from event: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/eg4nxft28e7pu92/AADyZU2QbzEIGWMW4lazIfKga?oref=e&n=167662576

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