This year’s Surrey Board of Trade’s Top 25 Under 25 Awards once again highlighted a number of exceptional young entrepreneurs within the city of Surrey, many of whom are affiliated with SFU.
The winners included current SFU students, Amar Pangalia, Cynthia Su, Gunraj Gill, Kevin Cruz, Lara Ahmad, Raeniel (Rae) Holgado, and Winona Bhatti, as well as alumni Elvin Cheung, Jasmine Garcha, and Karanvir Singh Thiara.
The awards recognized these individuals as leaders and role models in the community, as well as for their efforts to provide for their communities, usually through the development of programs and facilities.
Ahmad, co-program manager of SFU Enactus, expressed her elation at receiving the award, “It’s really nice to be recognized [. . .] to see all the effort from the team, that everyone at Enactus, has put [in]. [It’s] really exciting and that much more of a motivator.”
For the time being, Ahmad hopes to continue her involvement with Enactus. The club is part of “a global organization that uses entrepreneurial action as a catalyst for progress,” inspiring entrepreneurial ventures in the SFU community and beyond.
Ahmad was among three other award recipients involved with Enactus SFU. Fellow member Bhatti, founder of HUG Charity Canada (Helping Underprivileged Girls) and program manager of Banner Bags, said of her future, “There’s so many things I want to do. I’m the kind of person where I see something, [I think], I should do it. For now . . . I guess I’ll see where that takes me.”
Holgado was recognized for being the project manager for Enactus SFU’s Count on Me program, which teaches basic financial literacy skills to those in the community in need. He said, “[It’s] a big accomplishment for me [and it] validates my tireless contribution to my community and my desire to become a successful businessman in the future.”
Being program manager has significantly affected Holgado, showing him that there is more to business than profit and that a positive impact is far more meaningful. He foresees expanding the program to other cities in the Lower Mainland and predicts that more secondary schools in Surrey will request Count on Me’s curriculum.
Holgado is not alone in hoping that this award may mean increased publicity for his project. Thiara, a 23-year old SFU alumnus, and founder of Sahara, a youth mental health initiative that advocates for active mental health support, said, “Receiving [the award] will help bring more attention to the work [of] Sahara, [but] the satisfaction I get from being able to help others is the greatest award I can ask for.”
Su, co-program manager of Enactus SFU’s Entrepreneur of the Year (SEY) program, and winner of the Project Leader of the Year award at the 2014 Enactus Canada National Exposition, felt proud to be honoured among her peers. She said, “The calibre of [the recognized] individuals [. . .] and the work that they have done in and for our city is inspirational. I am thankful and honoured to be recognized amongst them.”
Recipients will be presented with their awards at a ceremony on June 12 at Eaglequest Golf, Coyote Creek in Surrey.
