Two young Calgarians have been awarded the prestigious Terry Fox Humanitarian Award scholarship, among 13 other national winners. Aisyah Ghazali, a 26-year-old Mount Royal University student, and Asiya Iskander, a 17-year-old STEM Innovation Academy High School student, were honored at an award ceremony on Parliament Hill on Wednesday for their volunteerism and community work.
Recognition of Young Humanitarians
“These are the young people Canada needs most right now,” said Paulina Chow-White, Chief Executive Officer of the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award Program, in a press release. “To inspire a unity of purpose, to apply their energy and make meaningful contributions to humanitarian causes in their communities and beyond.”
According to the program’s website, the scholarship has a maximum value of $28,000, which is dispersed over four years, and is meant to support recipients through their first undergraduate degree to allow them to continue the work that earned them the award.
Aisyah Ghazali: A Dedicated Advocate
Ghazali is a third-year Bachelor of Child Studies student, majoring in child and youth care counselling. Through practicum placement, she has worked with McMan Calgary as a transition worker, where she supports and advocates for youth in crisis. Ghazali also volunteers extensively with the Ups and Downs: Calgary Down Syndrome Association, where she helps facilitate inclusive community events. One of the events she led, Street Meet 2025, managed to raise over $11,000 for the organization. Ghazali said her sister, who has Down Syndrome, is a source of inspiration beyond just volunteering.
“I just want to be able to affect someone’s life positively. If I can make my sister’s life better, then that is a life that’s worth living,” Ghazali said.
Her goal is to pursue a master’s in counselling so she can open an inclusive practice for marginalized communities and individuals with developmental disabilities. She hopes to combine experiential forms of therapy, such as outdoor and recreational practices, to create safe spaces that she herself desperately needed as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse.
“I do want to lead a life that’s not defined by my past, but more by the hope I see in others,” Ghazali said. “To be able to build strength from it is something that I truly believe in.”
Ghazali plans to continue her work with McMan and the Ups and Downs this summer, as well as aiding in research for the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative.
Asiya Iskander: A Young Leader in Science and Community
Iskander is in her final year of high school, with plans to pursue a degree in Life Sciences from the University of Toronto to become a cardiothoracic surgeon. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of the Canadian Journal of Student Research, a student-run science journal that aims to shape the next generation of researchers, as well as the founder and teacher at Inspire Dance Studio, where she provides free programs to refugee children, immigrants, and neurodivergent youth.
