“Whether through community involvement, educational pursuits or entrepreneurship, these youth truly have the ‘Wow’ factor and are making a powerful difference,” says Jesse Card, executive director of Youth Ottawa, an organization that has empowered youth in this city for the past 26 years via tailored programs, resources, training and mentoring.
The 21 Under 21 awards, presented by RBC and hosted by Youth Ottawa, were formerly known as the Spirit Awards.
Here’s an overview of some of the achievements of uOttawa students.
Alexander Moorcroft
Faculty of Social Sciences
Alexander showed his innovative spirit in his efforts to bring public murals to Kanata and his proposed scholarship initiative to encourage youth volunteerism. He was also involved in the Big Give, an annual church initiative to give to those in need, and the Listening Table, a community platform for students. All of this while participating in highly selective field research courses at uOttawa and training for a 100-kilometre bike ride.
Benazir Tom Erdimi
Faculty of Social Sciences (BSocSc ’24)
Benazir is the founder of The People of Tomorrow, a non-profit organization established in 2020 to showcase positive stories of Black youth doing amazing things in education, social justice, art, science, photography and more. She also has a leadership position with the Ottawa Black Diaspora Coalition. Despite personal challenges, including advocating against her father’s wrongful incarceration in Egypt, Benazir hopes to use her uOttawa degree in conflict studies and human rights with a minor in law to provide legal support to those deprived of their human rights.
Bryan Liu
Faculty of Science
In 2020, in response to huge demand for food banks during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bryan co-founded Food for the Capital, a student-volunteer-led organization that empowers youth to become community leaders as they combat food insecurity. So far, the FFFC has held 12 major events with local food banks and supermarkets to supply over 15,000 pounds of food and $10,000 in donations to Ottawa charities. More than 100 student volunteers have joined the effort.
Hannah Omar
Faculty of Engineering
Hannah is a dedicated community volunteer who has held roles at the Maison de la Francophonie, the Ottawa Police Youth Advisory Committee and the Youth in Policing Initiative. Of Somali-Djiboutian background, she supports organizations like the Association Djiboutienne pour Autisme et Autres Besoins and the Somali Hope Foundation. A biomedical engineering student, Hannah is passionate about bridging the diversity gap in STEM and advocating for diversity. Hannah is a past winner of the Ottawa Youth in Policing Award and an Art Award of Merit from Maurice Lapointe school.
Jahnavi Thotla
Faculty of Science
A highly-motivated student in her first year at uOttawa, Jahnavi co-created IndigenousConnect, a website adopted by the Ottawa Catholic School Board to support Indigenous students, and dedicated 150 hours towards developing “Momease Connect,” an app that provides personalized resources for new mothers in poverty. Momease Connect’s innovative approach to addressing poverty won it the Abraham Securities Special Prize. As an immigrant to Canada, Jahnavi also shows empathy and leadership by welcoming others into initiatives like the Women in STEM club.
Julien Hodge
Faculty of Health Sciences
An athlete and entrepreneur, Julien is also active in many community initiatives. He founded Lindo Cards, a greeting card company, and serves as president of the Club Optimiste des Jeunes Adultes (COJA). Julien balances contributing to local organizations, such as the Ottawa Basketball Network, Future Paths Network and JA Ottawa, with leading his own projects as he studies human kinetics at uOttawa.
Natasha Trehan
Faculty of Medicine
Fourth-year translational molecular medicine student Nathasha founded the Take a Pain Check Foundation, a global nonprofit that empowers youth who have rheumatic diseases. Under her leadership, the foundation has grown to include over 50 volunteers and has launched initiatives like a STEM scholarship program and the Backpack Program, in partnership with Arthritis Society Canada. Natasha also volunteers as a counsellor for Club Sunrise, supporting children with arthritis. Her research at institutions like the University Health Network and SickKids has been presented at major conferences across North America.
Nihal Yapici
Faculty of Health Sciences
Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, Nihal now supports youth who are newcomers to Canada, volunteering as a science and English tutor. A fourth-year health sciences student specializing in population and public health, she works as a research assistant at the Ottawa Hospital and the Ottawa Heart Institute, where she advocates for equitable health-care access as a Turkish-English interpreter and contributor to health organizations for new Canadians. Nihal also helped establish the Ottawa branch of Prospective Medical Professionals (PuMP), a charity promoting STEM opportunities for marginalized youth.
Serena George
Faculty of Medicine
Serena has had an impact as a volunteer both locally and globally, improving chronic disability support with Every Canadian Counts, teaching English in India through OneProsper, promoting youth voices with UNICEF and advancing sustainable fashion through upcycling projects. She has also supported health care in her community, volunteering at her local hospital for many years and filling roles with the Canadian Medical Protective Association, as a medical assistant in a family clinic and a medical scribe in the emergency department.
Shanaz Sabir
Telfer School of Management
Last year, Shanaz served as co-prime minister of the St. Francis Xavier high school student council, president of the Muslim Student Association and vice-president of the Eco Club. She led initiatives addressing inclusivity, environmental stewardship and cultural awareness and played a key role in raising over $100,000 for cancer research, local food banks and global causes.
Shanaz was a volunteer research assistant at the Neuroscience Memory Lab, which has contributed to important research on the effects of chemotherapy on memory in breast cancer patients. Now in her first year at uOttawa, Shanaz is working towards a Bachelor of Commerce and Juris Doctor. She plans to continue to support her community and drive positive change.
This content was created in partnership with Youth Ottawa, which is supported by partners including RBC, the University of Ottawa, Carleton University, CTV, the Ottawa Catholic School Board, the Ottawa Business Journal and the OSSTF/FEESO.