Caitlin Lee [李君宜]
Iroquois Ridge HS, Oakville, ON
University of Toronto Scarborough Academics Award
Caitlin demonstrated her dedication to piano study when she won a first place award for Grade 8 Piano at the Rotary Burlington Music Festival. Her interest in science turned to fascination with the human body, when she was given the opportunity to attend the SEEDS enrichment program at Queen’s University for the introductory physiology module and worked on a science fair project based on the decomposition of McDonald’s meals. In high school, Caitlin took the earliest opportunity to fast-track her courses and enrolled in the University of Toronto’s MedYSP program for the pharmacology module. In grade eleven, she took Advanced Placement exams where she achieved a score of 5 on both the Psychology and English exams. That summer, she was accepted to the Shad STEAM program where she designed a research project based on salt diffusion in microgravity and her team placed in the top 10 out of more than 60 teams. This past year, she entered the Tech Under Twenty Cup competition where she was challenged to create a solution that would improve financial resource accessibility, and she won first place from RBC.
Caitlin is enrolled at Queen’s University in Health Sciences.
Matthew Ahn [安光植]
Harold M. Brathwaite SS, Bolton, ON
University of Toronto Scarborough Academics Award
Matthew has consistently achieved a 95%+ average in all four years of the International Baccalaureate programme with an exceptional achievement of a 99.5% in his top 6 courses for university admission. Matthew has pursued his passion for the natural sciences outside of the classroom by achieving 2nd place nationally in the 2020 HOSA Canada Fall Leadership Convention and excelling in the 2021 Chem 13 News Waterloo competition. He has also applied his interests in 20th-century Latin American history to achieve an Outstanding Delegate accolade at the 2020 Kings Collegiate College Model United Nations Conference. Matthew is currently pursuing his interest in immunological studies under the supervision of Dr. Yahia Gawad in a research project on the current state of Lateral Flow PointOf-Care Immunodiagnostics concerning COVID-19 antigen tests. Matthew is a recipient of the McMaster University Award of Excellence Scholarship and intends to pursue innovative approaches to complex and impending global challenges.
Matthew is studying Health Sciences at McMaster University.
Madison Fong [玟玟]
St. Thomas More CSS, Hamilton, ON
Chung-Kotcheff Family Arts Award
Singing is Madison’s passion because she can express herself in ways that would be impossible otherwise. She started to write her own songs and one day hopes to record them in a professional studio. During the pandemic, she sang on her front porch for 100 days straight to pay tribute to the frontline workers. The president of St Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton recognized her efforts by posting the video on twitter and on the hospital TVs. CHCH news viewed her post, and they did a segment on her story. She was also featured in the #CanadaTogether O Canada commercial. Madison is a proud member of the Kilty B junior Hockey team family, and every home game they roll out the red carpet for her to sing the national anthem. Three years ago, she was chosen to participate in Top Model Search Canada and went on to sign a 2-year contract with Icon Model Management. Madison is part of her school vocal ensemble and mass choir who helped build her confidence on stage. Last year when she was singing the national anthem at a junior B prospect game, the mic cut out, but she was able to stand strong and continue to sing. At the end, she was rewarded with a thunderous standing ovation, and her confidence was recognized by Rogers Hometown Hockey. Madison wants to teach people the gift of music and show them how powerful music can be.
Madison is studying to become a music teacher at Brock University.
Katherine Xu [徐承寧]
Nelson HS, Burlington, ON
Chung-Kotcheff Family Arts Award
By blending musical theatre with traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Tibetan music, Katherine aspires to accurately represent Asian culture in Western media. Over the past few years, she has built a substantial following on YouTube for her song covers. While in quarantine, Katherine began writing music inspired by TV’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, and received a positive response on TikTok, so she then released several full-length songs. She is now working with industry professionals to bring the ATLA Musical project to life. She won the grand prize for Audition Showdown and recorded her original song, “Top of My School” at a Toronto studio. Katherine is heavily involved in Nelson’s drama department as well as community theatre at Centre Stage Theatre School. She has earned numerous awards, including a prestigious scholarship to AMDA’s Summer Conservatory. Katherine was a virtual cast member of the Broadway Online Concert and has performed with Joshua Turchin. Katherine also creates semi-realistic portraits with various mediums, addressing issues like cultural appropriation and climate change. Her art has been recognized internationally, earning an Honorable Mention in the 2020 Ocean Awareness Art Contest.
Katherine is studying Mathematics at Cornell University.
Sarah Cheng [鄭加瑜]
Windermere SS, Surrey, BC
Dorothy Lu Community Services Award
Sarah’s most significant contribution has been through her role as the Volunteer Engagement Lead of SPARK Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Surrey, BC. She co-led part of SPARK’s Frontline Workers Appreciation Project, where her team was able to deliver 200 meals to frontline workers at the Kinsmen Place Lodge care home in Surrey, BC. She launched and managed SPARK’s ambassador program for over fifty high school and university students. In the short time span of three weeks, and with a $60,000 fund provided by Red Cross Canada, she and her team were able to order 800 backpacks filled with food items and hygiene essentials for homeless individuals and low-income families. Sarah is also the founder of Windermere for Wellness, a high school club that promotes mental health and well-being in the community through events, workshops, and articles. In addition to her volunteer work, Sarah has managed and developed a marketing group to help bridge the gap between academic skill sets and practical, reallife applications.
Sarah is studying Business and Computer Science at the University of British Columbia.
Mariane Olivian [陳芸萱]
St. Robert CHS, Thornhill, ON
Dorothy Lu Community Services Award
As a devoted member since 2017, Mariane was elected president of SJMF (Siempre Juntos Mas Fuerte/Together We Are Stronger) in 2019, a youth-led, registered charity that builds houses for Dominican families in need. She has launched many initiatives, including collaborative fundraisers, informative booths, and local speeches, and social media campaigns. Mariane serves as vice president of the Connect4Cancer chapter, leading events such as a stem cell swab for the Canadian Cancer Foundation, and an ornament decorating event for childhood cancer patients. Finally, Mariane co-founded a nonprofit sticker shop, “MAJE Studios” in 2019, serving as CEO and graphic designer, using her creativity and marketing experience to benefit local charities such as Rebuild the Block. Mariane is her high school’s Arts Council representative, where she helped organize an indoor cycling event with over 80 participants, raising over $15,000 for the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation.
Mariane is studying Science at the University of British Columbia.
Benita Zhou [周雯]
West Point Grey Academy, Vancouver, BC
Murphy & Chung Chartered Accountants Athletics Award
Benita’s passion for table tennis started when her dad introduced her to the sport at seven years old. Benita has represented our country with Team Canada at cadet, junior, and senior levels of international tournaments. Along with her victories came twice as many losses, but it was those losses that taught her how to become a stronger player; to persevere through failure when things get hard; to self-reflect, honestly and harshly, because there’s always room for improvement; to not be discouraged by failure, because it can be a source of motivation. Once she held herself accountable to these lessons, her skills started to improve. It was those lessons that allowed her to achieve one of her proudest moments: becoming the first female to win three gold medals at the Canada Winter Games. Benita’s drive and determination are what make her an Olympic athlete, but it is her grit and perseverance that make her a multiple gold medalist.
Benita is attending the University of Toronto and studying Commerce.
Melissa Lam [林美希]
Unionville HS, Markham, ON
Murphy & Chung Chartered Accountants Athletics Award
Melissa has her 3rd degree black belt in Taekwondo. She has competed at the national level, and won a bronze medal at the 2015 Canadian National Taekwondo Championships. She has won 6 National Champion Titles, with 6 gold medals at the Canadian National Taekwondo Championships. Melissa represented Canada for 3 years on the Canadian National Taekwondo Team and placed 6th at the 2016 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Peru. She also won the Canada Open, and a silver and bronze medal at the 2017 Pan American Taekwondo Championships. In 2018, she won the Junior National Taekwondo MVP award from Taekwondo Canada and competed at the 2018 World Taekwondo Championships in Taiwan. She was a member of the Taekwondo Ontario Provincial Team, winning 8 medals at the Provincial Championships, 5 of which were gold. Melissa volunteers, coaches and tests for her school at local and provincial tournaments, and was selected for their demonstration team. Melissa has also attended seminars to become a Taekwondo Provincial Referee.
Melissa is at Queen’s University studying Commerce.
Albert Lai [賴德安]
Pierre Elliott Trudeau HS, Markham, ON
Choi King and John C. Mah Memorial Innovation Award
Albert has always been driven to create positive impacts using technology. Last spring, he noticed that his peers were feeling disconnected due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the student council technology chair, he designed a mobile app to keep students updated with school events and activities. The app has been downloaded by over 75% of the school, reaching the top 15 in the App Store education charts. Since then, Albert has been inspired to impact communities on a larger scale and is currently working with the York Region District School Board to bring the app to all of the school board’s 40,000 secondary school students. Albert has collaborated with 30 other data scientists worldwide in an Omdena project to address the issue of post-traumatic stress disorder in war-torn areas. He and his team prototyped a first-of-its-kind risk assessment chatbot for World Vision Switzerland that would help victims of PTSD across 23 countries find treatment. Additionally, Albert works in brain injury rehabilitation as the youngest member of a startup called Neurofit VR which uses exercises to help patients overcome brain injuries and improve brain health.
Albert is studying Computer Science at the University of Waterloo.
Emily Pang [彭婉晴]
Richmond Hill HS, Richmond Hill, ON
Choi King and John C. Mah Memorial Innovation Award
Emily wanted to change the deficiency in awareness among youth about available opportunities to lead, engage and contribute. This desire led her to co-found ViteRevue, a student-led nonprofit organization that provides opportunities for youth by creating a knowledge platform, launching an interview series, and hosting monthly webinars. The resource platform on their website has been accessed by over 700 students, providing instant access and connection. Simultaneously, they expanded social media pages and helped other non-profit organizations extend their outreach through their interview series about community involvement. Today, it has expanded to two countries, strengthening community programs and assisting youth-led initiatives worldwide. ViteRevue now provides countless youth with opportunities and resources to broaden their skillset and perspective.
Emily is enrolled in Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto.
Tom Xie [謝偉]
Eric Hamber SS, Vancouver, BC
Maximilian Dignity of Life Award
Tom is a volunteer tutor and was elected by his school as community president. Tom established a website and is an active member of an online AI, Robotics, and Quantum Technology community. He strengthened the construction of community websites to allow everyone to learn and exchange knowledge about epidemic prevention. He also assisted the Attorney General, David Eby, to collect data pertaining to various difficulties faced by young people in the community through an online platform. While volunteering for the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, he led a peer group to collect second-hand items, cultivate potted plants in a friend’s greenhouse and raise funds for the foundation from a charity sale. During the summer of 2019 when he assisted postdoctoral researcher Quentin Geissmann to develop a new data collection tool, his career plan became clearer: software engineering, supplemented by Industry 4.0 and business courses in order to become an engineering manager, applying artificial intelligence and other technologies to help improve the efficiency of the healthcare system.
Tom is enrolled in Software Engineering with minors in biology and business at Simon Fraser University.
Evelyn Carey [倩盈]
Bur Oak SS, Markham, ON
Maximilian Dignity of Life Award
Evelyn has been volunteering for her community since grade school and has served as Special Events Volunteer and Assistant (Adapted) Aquatics Instructor for the Town of Markham, where she has taught students of all ages and abilities including those with physical and mental disabilities how to swim. This past December, she took the initiative to spearhead a monetary fundraising campaign for the CTV and Salvation Army Toy Mountain Campaign at her school, raising over $1110. She currently serves as the Director of Internal Affairs at the nonprofit organization, Ontario Youth Medical Society, and as a graphic designer, social media manager, and Head of Menstrual Hygiene Day Marketing at the non-profit organization, Bleed the North. In addition to her extracurricular involvement with Ambassadors, Music Council, International Students’ Association, Student Activity Council, HOSA, Science Club, Book Club, and the Bur Oak Closet Event, Music Council, and Swim Team, Evelyn teaches swimming for Olympian School of Swimming.
Evelyn is attending the University of Toronto Mississauga and studying Life Science.
Kathy Chen [陳嘉欣]
Unionville HS, Markham, ON
Fay and John Wong Defence of the Environment Award
Environmental advocacy has always played a significant role in Kathy’s life, but learning that “we have 12 years to limit climate change catastrophe” was the catalyst that drove her to take greater action. Thus, Seedlings was co-created, an organization committed to fostering sustainability and reducing her community’s carbon footprint through gradual lifestyle changes. They established a free seed library exchange that helps community members grow their own food and encourages plant-based diets. They were keynote speakers at the David Suzuki Foundation Earth Day event, and attended a virtual conference regarding schedule 6 on Bill 229 concerning the protection of watersheds and wetlands. Seedlings was also a keynote speaker at an online event, providing insight to guide other youth towards an empowering path in climate advocacy, then recording a podcast episode sharing their experience. Kathy learned she can be the change she wants to see, leading others to do the same.
Kathy is attending University of Waterloo for Environmental Science and Systems Design Engineering.
Kara Yeh
Britannia SS, Vancouver, BC
Fay and John Wong Defence of the Environment Award
Due to her passion for environmental sustainability, Kara volunteered for the Britannia Recycling Club as an Executive Member in support of education regarding environmental sustainability within her community. Her role as a Youth Volunteer for the Environmental Youth Alliance allowed her to nourish her plant horticulture and leadership skills within the Strathcona community, as well as remove harmful invasive species in order for native plants in Renfrew Ravine Park to flourish. Kara advocates for environmental awareness through the VSB Sustainability Conference as a Youth Head Delegate, where she facilitates outreach events to students across Vancouver to learn about environmental sustainability. Her role as the Environmental Events Director for the BC Youth Council further allows her to encourage youth to live sustainably. Kara obtained Honourable Mention in the Britannia Science Fair with her project to reduce food waste in landfills, then proceeded to the Greater Vancouver Regional Science Fair to present her innovation.
Kara is studying sciences at the University of British Columbia.
Jolie Gan [顏采妍]
Sir Winston Churchill HS, Calgary, AB
Leader of Tomorrow Award in Memory of Pam Lumb Collett
Jolie endured a family crisis that inspired her to uplift others from disadvantaged backgrounds, especially people of colour. To achieve this goal, she founded Youth Leaders in Law (YLL), an organization with a mission to encourage diverse students to study law. YLL has grown to include over 40 team members and has impacted over 1,000 students around the world. Jolie served as the youngest member of the RCMP National Advisory Council, working with government officials, law enforcement, and politicians on policymaking and Canada’s leadership, and developing policy proposals, literature reviews, presentations, and resources for distribution to mental health clinics, distress centres, high schools, and youth justice centres. Jolie is an advisor to Alberta Health Services, providing recommendations on health policy, treatment for adolescents, and governmental affairs to medical teams. She has supported over 300 professionals and led numerous projects to improve the lives of patients, including communicating with immigrant families to remove language barriers. Jolie strives to build a more just, positive, and constructive future for generations to come.
Jolie is studying Social Sciences at the University of Toronto.
Juliana Macevicius [延歡芳]
Maxwell Heights SS, Oshawa, ON
Leader of Tomorrow Award in Memory of Pam Lumb Collett
Juliana is an activist for the LGBTQ+ community and mental health services. The anti-bullying campaign she was involved in was through the Boys and Girls Club of Durham. She volunteered as an assistant swimming instructor, program activity leader, event volunteer and eventually created her own program called GLOW (Girls Lead Our World) which was supported by the club. GLOW focuses on learning new skills, building self-esteem, empowerment, and creating meaningful connections. Juliana was honoured to receive Volunteer of the Year recognition from them in 2018. She then created and federally registered her own non-profit organization called Letters of Happiness. With over 300 volunteers, they have reached three hospitals and multiple long-term care homes across Canada through handwritten letters. This year, she was nominated for and awarded an Ontario Volunteer Service Award on behalf of the Honourable Lisa MacLeod and the Honourable Doug Ford from the Province of Ontario.
Juliana is studying Health and Life Sciences at Queen’s University.
Caleb Wu [吳思賢]
Steveston-London SS, Richmond, BC
Toronto Mandarin Lions Club Judges’ Choice Award in Memory of Valerie Mah
Caleb was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer at the age of 3 and has to spend time in a lightbox filled with ultraviolet rays for his skin and lymphoma. Witnessing the plight of others fighting their own battles, Caleb founded Project Lightbox where he designs, assembles and packages custom Lego sets. He began by supporting children in the hospital and has since expanded to support children facing financial challenges. He has created over 200 unique Lego sets, donating to organizations such as the BC Children’s Hospital, Richmond Hospital Paediatric Unit, and the YMCA Kids Club. During the summer of 2019, he brought 30 Project Lightbox sets to the Pandita Ramabai Mission Center in India, where he guided the children through a workshop. Upon his return, he partnered with the YMCA and brought the workshop to his own community. His efforts have been recognized with the Coast Capital Power of Youth $2500 Award and the Government of Canada’s Rising Youth $250 grant. Using various media interviews, he created a platform to reach out to donors, inspiring others to donate. Caleb amassed over 125,000 pieces of Lego, inspired to support his community and committed to shining a light into the darkness.
Caleb is in grade 12 with a focus on Media Design.