PRERNA CHANDAK, 19, WINDSOR, Ont.
A mind for money, a heart for service
Prerna Chandak's high-school years in Mississauga, Ont., were busy ones. Along with completing four years of schooling in three years, she did more than 800 hours of volunteer community service.
Prerna, whose goal is to become a financial analyst, is in the fourth year of the University of Windsor's bachelor of commerce program, and will also soon begin full-time work for RBC Dominion Securities.
In 2005, she persuaded the mayor of Windsor to create a Mayor's Youth Advisory Committee to engage with and represent the city's young people. As a member of the Windsor Chamber of Commerce, she created the city's first networking forum for young entrepreneurs. The forum is teamed with the Detroit Chamber of Commerce, in the first international networking partnership for young people interested in business. "What motivates me to do what I do is the need to succeed, and the desire to make change happen."
CODY CLARK, 12, KEMPTVILLE, ONT.
Small comforts for hospital patients
A visit to a hospital emergency room several years ago gave Cody Clark the idea for a "comfort kit" to help children feel more at ease while in hospital. In four years, Cody (who hopes to be a pediatrician) raised more than $25,000 for the project and has delivered more than 240 of the free kits, which contain books, blankets, videos and toys. A companion project provides kits to senior citizens in hospital.
Cody, who lost his father to cancer last year, recently set up a project to give teddy bears to patients at the Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre, where his father was treated. "I really like making a difference in the lives of others," he says.
"Even though I am only 12, I truly believe that I can make that difference because we are the future and I know we do not have to wait until we are adults to get things done."
Cody was named Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year for 2002 and in 2005 received the Governor General's Caring Canadian award for outstanding volunteer efforts.
APRIL DUTHEIL, 17, Tlell, B.C.
Spreading the word on health care
April Dutheil is one of the 6,000 people who call the Queen Charlotte Islands home. Last year, she identified a need for more volunteers to improve health care in the far-flung community. She took the initiative, met with fire department and emergency-care workers, obtained funding and organized free cardiopulmonary resuscitation courses for residents.
In the end, 24 people were taught CPR, a vital tool in a place where the nearest ambulance is typically 25 minutes away and the closest hospital can be a 40-minute drive.
"Living on Haida Gwaii has shown me the heights that the human capacity can reach in terms of love and support, and, in doing so, has influenced my passion to help people by improving health care."
April, whose dream is to become a doctor, will enter the BSc program at the University of British Columbia in the fall.
SOPHIA GRAN-RUAZ, 14, MISSISSAUGA, ONT.
Making kids snug as a bug
At age 11, Sophia Gran-Ruaz set up the non-profit "Snug as a Bug, Kids Helping Kids" program, which provides care packages to youngsters staying in shelters.
Thanks to the donations and support of many companies and individuals, she says, she has been able to provide about 4,000 care packages of books, magazines, crayons and playing cards to shelters over the past three years.
"I am motivated by what my eyes see, my brain comprehends and my heart feels," says Sophia, "and that is that every aspect of our Earth and the people on it can benefit with compassion and empathy."
Her ultimate goal is to become a physician, working in an emergency room and donating her time and skills to the international medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières.
SALEENA HAKIM, 18, Toronto
Champion of the Third World
In the weeks after the December, 2004, tsunami that devastated much of Southeast Asia, Saleena Hakim mobilized a large group of friends to help raise $32,000 worth of medical supplies for the devastated region. The experience spurred her desire to raise student awareness about Third World needs.
"One of the major things that motivates me is when people say that youth cannot make a difference in the world," she says. "It makes me want to inspire even more individuals." Sally also led another fund-raising campaign that collected more than $13,000 for Free the Children. The money was used to help construct a school in Kenya. Last October, she and a dozen others went to help build one of the classrooms.
RAYMOND KO, 19, Saskatoon
A muse for autistic kids
Raymond Ko's love of music is evidenced by his diplomas in violin and piano performance. After volunteering as a piano teacher at a community centre, he decided to offer classes for children with special needs. Last fall, after consultations with the board of directors of Autism Services, Saskatoon, he started the Music Sensory Awakening Program to help autistic children.
The non-profit program now works with about a dozen children aged 3 to 18. A solo concert and proceeds from sales of his CD raised $12,000 for the program, which has drawn such sponsors as Cameco Corp. and Safeway Canada.
"My parents are my role models and seeing them care for others in the Chinese community, such as taking the elderly to hospitals and translating for them, has a great impact on me," Raymond says.
As for his students, he says: "Their ability to appreciate music and love music lessons is empowering … It motivates me to continue teaching and making a difference in my community."
Now a student at University of Saskatchewan, he plans to become a pediatric ophthalmologist and continue his career in violin performance.
STEPHEN LAKE, 17 TORONTO
Two businesses and counting
Stephen Lake already has two successful business ventures under his belt.
At 13, his interest in engineering and robotics led to the creation of RC Tunerz, which makes and sells LED light systems for radio-controlled vehicles. When he was 15, he started Harmonic Synergy Entertainment, a disc jockey/light-show entertainment business. Customers have included Mary Kay Cosmetics and the Toronto District School Board.
In September, he enters the University of Waterloo's mechatronics engineering program, which combines mechanical, electrical, computer and systems design engineering.
"I like to be challenged, and the constant drive to overcome challenges is what keeps me going," he says, adding that his next business will involve alternative energy sources in the automotive sector.
TED PARANJOTHY, 17, Winnipeg
Cancer battle hits home
The loss of a childhood friend to leukemia helped set Ted Paranjothy on his course for a career in medicine.
While in high school, he spent more than 2,000 hours doing volunteer research in a University of Manitoba laboratory, often working with PhD-level researchers. A project he designed led to the discovery of an anticancer agent, for which the university has filed a provisional patent application.
"My cancer research project was inspired by a combination of an intrinsic curiosity of nature and how it functions, as well as a personal motivation to rid the world of cancer after seeing the debilitating effects it has had on a number of individuals I have known," he says.
Ted's research work earned him the 2006 Manning Young Canadian Innovation Award, as well as honours from the Canadian Cancer Society.
He is also the first student to win first place at the provincial, national and international levels of the Sanofi-Aventis Biotechnology Challenge. Last month, he became the first Canadian to win the $7,500 top prize at the Sanofi-Aventis International BioGENEius Challenge in Boston.
In September, he begins his studies at the University of Manitoba, buoyed by the 2007 TD Canada Trust Scholarship for Outstanding Community Leadership, worth $60,000 over four years.
SIMON PICKUP, 18, North Vancouver, B.C.
Renewable energy ignites a passion
Simon Pickup's Grade 4 science project looked at the question "How do we solve the fuel problem?" and involved a device to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Years later, he's still focused on the subject.
In 2004, he founded Youth Hydrogen, a non-profit group that fosters the development of young leaders while lobbying for hydrogen as a viable renewable energy source; the group is now working on the design and planning for a hydrogen refuelling station in North Vancouver.
"I'm motivated by curiosity and a desire to help others sustainably through social entrepreneurship," he says.
Simon's goal is to start a hydrogen systems integration company and showcase how social change can be led by market forces.
To that end, Simon will pursue a combined degree in mathematics and economics at the University of British Columbia.
NAKITA SEKHON, 17, Victoria
Raising a roof for orphans
In 2001, Nakita Sekhon and her family visited India, a trip that opened the 12-year-old's eyes to the needs of children there.
Two years later, the Claremont Secondary School student founded Jamsher Children's Village, an orphanage she envisions will care for up to 30 children at a time.
"I saw poverty first-hand [in India] and then coming back to Canada, where I had everything, didn't sit well with me. I knew I needed to do something," the Victoria teenager says.
"Knowing there are children living in poverty motivates me to help make a difference," she says.
With a 10-year plan for the village, she has so far secured a 1.4-hectare site in Punjab and raised more than $13,000 toward the building costs. Nakita also volunteers at B.C. Children's Hospital, racking up more than 5,000 volunteer hours in the past four years.
She is fascinated by medical science and plans to become a registered nurse, ideally working with children.
JASMEET SIDHU, 19, Brampton, Ont.
Eco-leader raised buzz in schools
When Jasmeet Sidhu founded Peel Environmental Youth Alliance at Heart Lake Secondary School in 2004, she envisioned a meeting place for students to learn about environmental issues and share project ideas.
It now has more than 300 members and has spurred clubs in other schools in the region. With a $215,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the alliance organizes annual "EcoBuzz" conferences, setting up recycling programs in schools and helping eco-conscious teenagers hone their leadership skills.
Jasmeet is currently a student at the University of Toronto, enrolled in peace and conflict studies.
Last month, she went to Kenya as part of a team from Students for International Development who volunteered for reforestation, health and education projects.
"Everyone should utilize their interests, gifts and opportunities to not only make life better for others, but to make the world a better place," she says.
YVONNE SU, 17, HOLLAND LANDING, ONT.
Preaching the Goracle's message
Three years ago, Yvonne Su set up a student-run recycling program at her school, Dr. John M. Denison Secondary School in Newmarket, Ont.
The Denison Environmental Club has since expanded, through a variety of events and programs, to raise students' environmental awareness. Yvonne and club colleagues have also raised money to take part in meetings and conferences across Canada, performing skits to spread the eco-message.
"I am driven by a desire to better the world and a belief that humanity can unite to work toward environmental and social sustainability," says Yvonne, who will study environmental science at the University of Guelph.
She draws inspiration from the work of Liberal Party Leader Stéphane Dion, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May and former U.S. vice-president Al Gore. "I hope one day to emulate them and become a decision maker of Canada."
RYAN THIRLWALL, 19, Victoria
Helping at-risk youth
Ryan Thirlwall knows first-hand about the needs and challenges facing at-risk youth. As a young teenager, he abused drugs and alcohol, was expelled from school and ended up in foster care; his rough lifestyle also landed him in the juvenile justice system.
After hitting "rock bottom," he says, he decided to turn his life around.
Now drug-free and training for an apprenticeship in carpentry, he is a committed youth advocate who has spoken to thousands of young people in British Columbia and other parts of Canada. He says he would like to be a motivational speaker, "which will hopefully lead into a political area one day."
Ryan is also a member of the board of the B.C. Community Youth Development Coalition and the Youth Advisory Council for the provincial Ministry of Children and Family Development.
"I believe there are three kinds of people in this world: People who make things happen, people who watch things happen, and people who wonder what happened," he says.
SAM WHITESIDE, 17, NEW HAMBURG, ONT.
Driven to take the plunge
In August, 2006, after a year of training, Samantha Whiteside became the second-youngest person to swim across Lake Ontario, the 38th swimmer to do so.
Sam finished the 52-kilometre endurance swim in 15 hours, 11 minutes and 11 seconds — just 71 seconds shy of the record for women. The feat also raised $25,000 for research into juvenile arthritis, from which she has suffered.
Next fall she will attend the University of Guelph to study microbiology, the first step toward her goal of becoming a doctor of infectious diseases.
Meanwhile, she vows to return to the water, not only to raise more money for the Arthritis Society but also to become the fastest swimmer to make the crossing.
"I'm motivated by that world record, but also by the urge to help those with juvenile arthritis in any way I can."
