“Receiving the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award as an undergraduate was life changing. It gave me the confidence to pursue my dreams as a first-generation university graduate and opened doors I hadn’t imagined.”
– Kharoll-Ann Souffrant, Terry Fox Humanitarian Scholar
Current Recipients
These young humanitarians have worked tirelessly to channel the same values and goals that Terry Fox held, be it a passion for helping those in need or demonstrating perseverance in the face of adversity. The following students are currently being supported through their first post-secondary degrees:
2026
Aisyah Ghazali
Calgary, AB
A survivor of abuse, Aisyah experienced PTSD after a trusted teacher violated her safety, and she later faced another educator who told her she had “no hope in university.” These experiences deeply impacted her self-belief and relationship with school. Over time, the support of close friends created the safe space she needed to begin healing, helping her rebuild confidence, reclaim her education, and nurture her worth.
Inspired by her sister, Aisyah volunteers with the Ups and Downs: Calgary Down Syndrome Association, where she helps facilitate inclusive, accessible community events, one of which was leading Street Meet 2025 which raised over $11,000 for the organization.
Across the board, Aisyah’s work is driven by a commitment to ensure vulnerable children and youth are heard, believed, and supported as she works toward a future master’s in counselling psychology and an inclusive counselling practice. As she reflects on her journey and the community that helped get her to where she is today, Aisyah shares that her purpose comes from “helping other children and youth who face similar challenges and in creating the same safe spaces she once desperately needed.”
Aisyah is pursuing Child and Youth Care Counselling at Mount Royal University, where she maintains a 4.0 GPA and has earned Dean’s List recognition, with her practicum work at McMan supporting youth in crisis as a Transitions Worker.
Andrew Wang
Ottawa, ON
A rare autoimmune condition temporarily limited Andrew’s mobility at a young age and reshaped his relationship with hockey. While growing up with a sister who has several neurodevelopmental conditions, he was exposed early to complex medical needs and systemic gaps in care. These experiences shaped both his resilience and his sense of responsibility toward others.
Andrew founded Actions of Change, a student-led volunteer music initiative that performs at children’s hospitals and care facilities, including CHEO, Ronald McDonald House, Ottawa Rotary Home, Almonte General Hospital, and Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice. Through interactive performances featuring music, skits, and games, he creates inclusive spaces where children with disabilities and medical challenges can experience joy, connection, and belonging.
He also mentors newcomer athletes through Self-Driven Hockey, a program he built to address barriers his own immigrant family faced when accessing the sport he loves. He provides personalized training, builds accessible equipment, and shares free instructional resources through his YouTube channel to support young players developing confidence and skill.
In addition, he contributes to neuroscience research at Carleton University, where he studies epilepsy and neurodevelopmental conditions to better understand how early-life stress affects hippocampal CA2 development.
Across the breadth and depth of Andrew’s humanitarian efforts, his volunteer work remains focused on reducing isolation and supporting dignity through presence, care, and engagement. It is his belief that “if I am capable, physically, emotionally, or intellectually, then I hold an obligation to use those capabilities to reduce the burden on other individuals.”
Andrew will study Health Sciences in university.
Ansh Ramani
Fort McMurray, AB
A vivid memory from elementary school is what shaped Ansh’s sense of purpose; during a Terry Fox Run assembly, he watched a documentary about a young man who, after losing a leg to cancer, chose to run across Canada to raise awareness and funds for research. What stayed with him was not only Terry Fox’s courage, but the date of his passing: June 28th, Ansh’s birthday. This coincidence left him with a lasting sense of connection and responsibility. That moment planted a belief that life should be lived intentionally, in service of others, reinforced by the idea that “it’s the little things that are vital. Little things make big things happen.”
Growing up in Fort McMurray, Ansh witnessed the systemic contrast between prosperity and marginalization, as well as between urban and rural communities, where mental health struggles and limited access to education were common. As a grassroots solution to this problem, he co-founded Connect Wood Buffalo, a STEM outreach initiative for underprivileged youth, bringing students from Fort Chipewyan into the city to explore robotics, coding, and design.
Following the tragic loss of a close friend to suicide, Ansh joined the RCMP National Youth Advisory Council, contributing youth perspectives on mental health and support services. Internationally, he has extended his humanitarian impact to India, supporting his grandfather’s school for children with special needs while helping develop digital learning tools and secure resources to expand educational access.
Ansh believes his privileges are a responsibility, driving him to ensure vulnerable communities are empowered rather than overlooked.
Ansh plans to study Health Sciences at Queen’s University.
Asiya Iskander
Calgary, AB
When Asiya immigrated to Canada from Kazakhstan, she relied on a translation app to navigate interpersonal and academic interactions through fragmented conversations that left her feeling isolated. That isolation shifted when she discovered ballroom dance, a space where, through movement, she found belonging, confidence, and a sense of identity.
When she later saw Ukrainian refugee children arriving in Calgary with the same sense of displacement she once felt, she chose to act. Asiya founded Inspire Dance Studio, a free community-based program designed to support refugee children, immigrants, and neurodivergent youth. Backed by a $15,000 grant from the Calgary Arts Development Organization and the City of Calgary, Asiya created a physical space where dance and community were available to all students and their parents. She removed barriers to entry around finances and accessibility, and intentionally welcomed students of all physical and developmental abilities.
Her humanitarian work has received national recognition on platforms like CTV Calgary, CBC News, and BNN Bloomberg, and she has been invited to be a keynote speaker at major community events like the Royal Alberta Ballet’s International Women’s Day program. Overall, Asiya has raised $30,000 in various grants, sponsorships, and private donations and helped over 50 newcomer families.
Asiya has since expanded her program’s reach by launching a Central Asian cultural dance stream to help youth reconnect with their heritage. Her main inspiration is the battle against assimilation of underepresented cultural minorities from Central Asia. So far, Asiya’s Central Asian dance program students have performed at large cultural events hosted all over Alberta. Asiya has hosted cultural events welcoming over 1,000 people from across the city to showcase the underrepresented cultures of Central Asian newcomers.
Asiya uses art to help rebuild identities, making sure no child ever needs a translator to be understood.
Asiya plans to study Life Sciences at the University of Toronto and continue her humanitarian work.
Aurora Wesley
Minden, ON
When Aurora’s family dynamic shifted suddenly at the start of her senior year, her family faced immediate financial hardship, relying on their local community to meet basic needs. Experiencing this vulnerability firsthand shifted her perspective. Aurora stepped in to coordinate multiple food drives, ensuring other local families never have to choose between necessities.
Aurora has been committed to humanitarian work from a young age, organizing her first fundraiser, WIG OUT, at just 11 years old. Inspired by the loss of her godmother to lung cancer a few months earlier, she raised over $1,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society through a school-wide awareness campaign and local media coverage.
Aurora’s “Service Above Self” mindset enables her to persevere in the face of adversity; she continues to contribute to her community through initiatives, including the creation of a school outdoor classroom and pollinator garden, and advocacy for clean water access in northern Indigenous communities through national fundraising efforts. She also directs major service projects through the Interact Club.
Internationally, she supports a partner school in India through annual fundraising and a pen pal program that fosters cross-cultural connection. Aurora is driven to address systemic inequities in healthcare, so that no family faces the hardship she once did.
Aurora plans to study Business Administration at Western University and wants to pursue a career in healthcare policy development.
Elle Peters
Halifax, NS
At 18, growing up with a diverse Guyanese, Acadian, and Mi’kmaq heritage, Elle faced severe racism in elementary school, exacerbated by a school system that failed to protect her, which ultimately led to her transferring schools. Through this experience and in leaning on her mother for support, she realized that shame did not belong to her; it belonged to systems that were not built to protect students like her.
Elle founded her new school’s first Black Excellence Committee, hosting province-wide events and cultural showcases to amplify her community’s presence. She created One Love, a collective art project inspired by Bob Marley’s message of unity and resistance, and invited Black entrepreneurs, artists, politicians, police officers, and professional athletes to press their fists into clay in a symbol of strength, resilience, and solidarity. Later, in 2025, these pieces were displayed at Halifax’s City Hall in celebration of Black History Month, and Elle’s pride in advancing systemic representation grew.
Elle defends francophone youth rights as President of the Conseil jeunesse provincial, seeking equity in language. Her humanitarian impact is built on proactively creating and curating initiatives designed to protect everyone at a systemic level, ensuring equitable inclusion from the ground up.
Elle plans to study Engineering at Queen’s University, with the intention of pursuing a career in the energy sector.
Hargun Dhillon
Surrey, BC
Hargun immigrated to Canada as a child, facing unstable housing and financial insecurity. He endured intense bullying for his Sikh identity — racism directed at his accent, appearance, and uncut hair. Feeling isolated and unsafe, he cut his hair to fit in, an experience that deeply shaped his sense of self and commitment to creating belonging for others.
Drawing from his experience with housing insecurity, Hargun partnered with 18 Holdings Ltd. to support low-income newcomer families in similar conditions. What began with collecting discarded materials to build beds and essential furniture has grown into a large-scale initiative supporting more than 300 families.
Hargun also founded the Age Strong Wellness Society, the world’s first free, youth-led, culturally tailored fitness program for South Asian seniors facing isolation and barriers to inclusive healthcare. Supported by Fraser Health and the City of Surrey, the program has grown to over 120 volunteers and served more than 500 seniors. Hargun has started a movement that has inspired others to create similar programs for their own communities around the world.
Recognizing growing gang involvement among youth in his community, Hargun co-founded the Ignited Resilience Mentorship Foundation, mentoring at-risk students through academic guidance, confidence-building, and post-secondary pathways. He has spoken to hundreds of students at school assemblies to champion higher education among inner-city youth.
Across his work, Hargun transforms lived experience into systems of care rooted in dignity and cultural understanding. He is a Wesbrook Scholar (UBC’s most prestigious designation for outstanding academic performance and leadership) and a TEDx Surrey speaker who is currently studying Kinesiology.
Hudson Walby
Buena Vista, SK
Hudson lives with cerebral palsy and has navigated a complex and ongoing five-year medical journey marked by uncertainty and filled with unclear diagnoses. Living in a body that does not always cooperate with him, Hudson has developed a deep sense of patience, resilience, and an understanding of what it means to depend on others for care.
From a young age, he has been drawn to helping others in practical, consistent ways. He channels this empathy into his role as a Lead Athletic Trainer for local football leagues and volunteers as a Medical First Responder with St. John Ambulance.
Hudson considers himself a humanitarian “not for recognition, but because someone has to, and because I would want someone to do the same for me.” It is this sense of selfless service that has propelled Hudson to pursue nursing.
Having spent so many years within the healthcare system as a patient, he is driven by the belief that healthcare should make people feel seen, supported, and safe. He wants his future patients to feel calmer when he is in the room, families to feel supported through his care, and younger students to feel represented by seeing him in his role.
Hudson knows exactly what it feels like to be medically vulnerable, and he is determined to become a nurse who ensures no patient ever feels overlooked.
Hudson plans to study Nursing at the University of Regina.
Jenova Lin
Markham, ON
At nine years old and in search of an explanation for why she was, in her family’s and friends’ words, “acting weird” and seeking attention, Jenova was diagnosed with a neurological disorder that solidified her fearful belief that she was different: Tourette Syndrome. The isolation that accompanied involuntary movements and sounds, stigma, and bullying became overwhelming, and she felt completely withdrawn from those around her.
In fourth grade, Jenova delivered a presentation on Tourette Syndrome and anti-bullying to her classmates, speaking through the fear of vulnerability to finally express and accept herself out loud in front of others. Her act of vulnerability turned her bullies into supporters and sparked a lifelong drive to advocate for others.
Jenova founded The TEAL Project, a youth-led initiative focused on Tourette’s and neurodiversity awareness, which has reached over 3,000 people through online and in-person events. Jenova has spoken at public events and schools, fundraised for Tourette Canada, appeared on a podcast, and received recognition, including the Yes I Can! Provincial Award and a Citizen of Character Award. At the 2025 National AccessAbility Week Closing Ceremony, Jenova shared her story on a national stage. Beyond awareness, Jenova’s advocacy has supported immigrant families in understanding neurological conditions. In opening conversations that were previously silenced by stigma, Jenova transformed the condition that once made her feel broken into what empowers her to lead today. Jenova plans to study health or medical sciences in university, with the goal of pursuing a career supporting neurodivergent youth and their families.
Jeremy Green
Quispamsis, NB
Until the beginning of 11th grade, Jeremy struggled to find a sense of purpose; he was moving through life without direction or a sense of commitment to something he was passionate about. That changed when he, by chance, saw an opportunity to volunteer with a CrossFit program for adolescents and young adults with disabilities. After just one gym session, Jeremy was struck by the sense of belonging and joy within the space, and that feeling of finding the purpose he had previously been missing was unmistakable.
The domino effect of this experience led him to sign up for the Unified Basketball program at his school, where he became aware of the isolation and waitlists neurodiverse youth faced when trying to access community programs and support. Recognizing his privilege in contrast to these barriers, he chose to act.
Jeremy eventually took on leading Unified Basketball and introduced a Best Buddies chapter at his school to deepen his allyship with neurodiverse students, guided with the belief that it was his responsibility to create systemic opportunities for inclusion.
Jeremy persisted in fighting for gym time, collecting volunteers, and rallying community support. He ultimately launched Shooting Stars Basketball for disabled youth. The program has since made a mark on the community, impacting the lives of neurodiverse individuals and creating opportunities for his peers to make their own impact.
Jeremy actively leverages his advantages to ensure differently-abled individuals are genuinely celebrated, not just accepted.
Jeremy, now 17, plans to study History at Acadia University.
Keira Jensen
Fort Nelson, BC
Keira’s journey has been shaped by intergenerational challenges, which she has faced with strength, advocacy, and resilience. Growing up in rural British Columbia, she has witnessed the lasting impacts of residential school trauma on her family and community. This inspired her to advocate and act to help create spaces with equality and accessibility within her school and community.
One of Keira’s greatest hardships was the passing of her biggest inspiration, her Papa, whom she cared for throughout his health decline. As a teenager, Keira was faced with the roles of a caregiver and advocate, providing compassionate support while also confronting moments of inadequate and discriminatory circumstances within the healthcare setting. Through these experiences, Keira was able to develop advocacy skills she used to support vulnerable populations within her community and beyond. She joined various advocacy and action organizations such as Foundry Virtual BC and local Youth Advisory Committees, where she promoted mental wellness, especially for Indigenous youth like herself.
In 2026, Keira started a kindness campaign called The Butterfly Effect, bringing together her creativity with origami butterflies and her mental-health focused volunteerism and created a campaign with a reach extending beyond the country. She plans to continue her efforts to further encourage kindness and connection to help support others through challenging times, something she needed when she lost her Papa.
Keira is attending the University of Northern British Columbia to earn a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and continue her commitment to bringing accessible mental health services to Canadians.
Naomi Lendvay
Saskatoon, SK
Naomi’s journey has been shaped by extraordinary health adversity from early childhood; at just six years old, she was diagnosed with stage four rhabdomyosarcoma. By seven, she was told she had twelve months to live. Naomi spent her early years in hospital rooms with needles, chemotherapy, radiation, MRIs, and repeated surgeries. Even after being declared cancer-free at eight years old, the intensity of her years of treatment left Naomi with lasting physical impacts, including peripheral neuropathy that affected her mobility and required corrective surgeries, as well as infertility caused by radiation. These are deeply personal losses and lifelong realities that she has carried from a young age with remarkable grace.
What stands out most about Naomi is not only what she endured, but how she chose to respond. While sitting in her hospital bed surrounded by “Get Well Soon” balloons, she remembers thinking, “I don’t want to get well soon, I want to get well now.” What began as a deeply personal determination grew into a powerful platform for impact and advocacy work on behalf of childhood cancer patients. Through Team Naomi, she has helped raise more than $350,000 for pediatric cancer research and treatments, organized awareness events, partnered with sports organizations, and helped bring greater public recognition to childhood cancer in Saskatchewan and beyond.
Naomi has turned life’s hardest circumstances into opportunities for hope. She has created tangible change for children and families facing battles like her own.
Naomi plans to further her studies at the University of Saskatchewan.
Pania Ghaneian
Barrie, ON
Growing up, Pania experienced a difficult childhood marked by instability that ultimately led her family to leave what they called home for decades in search of better opportunities and a fresh start. At a young age, she immigrated to Canada, carrying with her the emotional weight of those early experiences while stepping into an unfamiliar world. She navigated an unfamiliar culture, self-healed from trauma, and created opportunities for herself with limited resources.
Rather than allowing these hardships to define her, she transformed them into purpose. Pania worked tirelessly to develop new skills, pursued programs like Model Parliament and the Legislative Page Program to learn more about Canadian politics, and found her voice as an advocate of child safety. Through organizations such as OneChild Canada and the Inter-American Children’s Institute, she has educated families, spoken on the global stage, helped shape policy recommendations, and created lasting resources to protect vulnerable youth and fight for the rights of children.
In Pania’s local community, she built belonging through her involvement with multicultural initiatives like the Ethnic Mosaic Alliance and youth-led service work through the Interact Club of Barrie, raising over $15,000 for charities and programs supporting a variety of issues from climate action to homeless youth. It is Pania’s belief that “every experience is meant to help one find their purpose,” and she is living proof of this statement. Her story is one of extraordinary resilience, and she continues to support immigrants and fight for the rights of children.
Pania plans to study at Harvard College in the fall.
Seth Hyde
St John’s, NL
Seth, 18, navigated significant personal hardship while still in high school, after his father was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Coupled with the emotional weight of that diagnosis came the fear of what future milestones might change or be lost altogether, and the painful reality that many families experience this disease in silence and isolation.
Rather than allowing grief to consume him, Seth chose to transform his personal pain into a broader purpose. Drawing on the platform and community support he had built through hockey broadcasting, he created “Pause for the Cause: Warm Up for Alzheimer’s.” Raising more than $34,000 for the Alzheimer Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, this event also created a space where families could access resources and feel less alone in sharing their stories.
Through his work with Easter Seals Newfoundland and Labrador, Seth learned firsthand about the barriers faced by individuals with disabilities and used those experiences to advocate for more systemic and equitable inclusion. He co-created a fundraising campaign, raising over $170,000 to date, to support an accessible outdoor hardcourt rink and outbuilding for adaptive equipment, ensuring more young people can experience sport. He also created the Jamie Hynes Memorial “Grit” Award, in honour of his dear friend’s father who had recently passed, to inspire young hockey players to be better humans on and off the ice. This award is reflective of Seth’s own story: someone with a remarkable level of initiative and maturity desiring to instill hope, resilience, and meaningful humanitarian impact for others in whatever way he can.
Seth plans to study Communication and Media at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Zohra Khawaja
Surrey, BC
Living with severe anxiety once consumed nearly every part of Zohra’s daily life. When a phone call from a friend experiencing homelessness came with a sincere question of “what do I do?” Zohra was determined to find an answer. Faced with someone else’s urgent need, she fought to overcome it and instead spent hours researching hidden supports, locating resources, and finding ways to help her friend access safety and stability. That experience awakened a sense of purpose stronger than her anxiety, and Zohra leaned into it.
What started as selling bracelets in her school’s atrium so she could create care packages for those living in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside quickly turned into her founding Hearts Against Homelessness. An international youth-led initiative spanning 10 countries, Hearts Against Homelessness partners with 18 community organizations, distributes more than 750 care packages across British Columbia, and has raised over $20,000 to support unhoused youth in Canada.
Beyond material support, Zohra’s organization focuses on education, awareness, and improving access to resources so young people do not fall through the cracks, and do not find themselves asking “what do I do?” but instead know where to turn. Zohra’s resilience is especially powerful because, in her words, “my work as a humanitarian has given my life direction, and allowed me to move past the anxieties that used to confine me.” At 17, Zohra is someone who will continue to make herself and her community proud by defying any and all limitations set by her anxiety.
Zohra plans to study Finance at McGill University.