2012 Nominees - Young Women of Distinction

Sunpreet Bains-Dahia

A natural leader currently enrolled in the Doctorate of Dental Medicine Program at UBC, Sunpreet tenaciously pursues her values of service and academic excellence. Selected as a British Columbia Ambassador, she has traveled across the province speaking out on motivation, education and self-esteem. Sunpreet co-founded High School 101, a peer mentorship program that serves to ease the transition of youth entering high school. As Miss White Rock, she co-founded the Semiahmoo Mosaic Workshop Society, a non-profit group that promotes the unification of people of all ages and races through art projects that beautify the city. In recognition of her achievements Sunpreet was honoured as a winner of the Surrey Top 25 Under 25 Award.

Connecting the Community Quote:

“By traveling across the province to rural towns and native reservations as a British Columbia Ambassador, I have seen the lack of resources for our youth.  Our youth are our future, and we need to nurture and mend them to create a promising generation.  I feel passionate about encouraging youth to succeed and thus I support healthy choices for youth.”

Michelle Chiu

An accomplished and determined student and volunteer, Michelle serves as a leader and role model for her peers. During her four years at UBC, Michelle infused creativity and diligence into campus life, including spearheading the inaugural Conference for Learning and Academic Student Success (CLASS). She is dedicated to improving children’s health and well-being, and for more than five years she has volunteered, providing companionship and emotional support to the children at Canuck Place Children’s Hospice. Her volunteer experiences have compelled Michelle to apply to medical school to one day help improve the healthcare system. She completed medical pre-requisites while maintaining a GPA ranked in the top 1% of the Sauder Class of 2012, and was awarded prestigious honours as a Wesbrook Scholar.

Connecting the Community Quote:

“I still remember the excitement that every library visit brought to my five-year-old self, and the joys of discovering worlds inhabited by superheroes and villains, princesses and pirates. A child’s first years are crucial for fostering a vivid imagination, a sense of curiosity, and a love for learning. I support the YWCA’s programs in early learning and child care.”

Salina Dharamsi

An advocate for equity, justice and global acceptance, Salina displays a social conscience that marks her as a true leader. Salina has served as a World Vision Youth Ambassador in Rwanda, a United Nations Panelist on Disaster Risk Reduction in New York and a Global Platform Youth Facilitator in Geneva. Locally, she is a tireless volunteer who has taught nutrition classes in the Downtown Eastside, tutored children with learning disabilities and served as a volunteer for Canuck Place Children’s Hospice. In recognition of her extraordinary contributions, Salina is an Order of Canada Youth Mentee, as well as a recipient of the BC Community Achievement Medallion. Salina is completing her UBC accounting and e-business degree, and has excelled as a co-op student at KPMG.

Connecting the Community Quote:

“My passion for advocating for mothers in difficult circumstances was sparked while representing World Vision at a widows' cooperative in Rwanda; working to achieve self-reliance and independence those mothers, and the at-risk teens I work with locally, are my inspiration for supporting YWCA’s early learning and child care program which provides affordable childcare to teen moms enrolled at Tupper Secondary School.”

Alison Lee

A community-focused and global-minded UBC medical student, Alison gives back to the next generation through volunteerism and leadership. She is deeply involved in campus life, including organizing more than 120 international exchange opportunities for Canadian medical students as the Canadian National Exchange Officer. She volunteers extensively as both an oncology research assistant and at Canuck Place Children’s Hospice and she helped form a new Model United Nations for BC high school students. Passionate about literacy, in 2007 Alison co-founded the Learning Buddies Network, which pairs struggling readers and math students with high-school or university reading buddies. The program started with 40 student-tutor pairs and with Alison’s enthusiasm and conviction it now provides tutoring to more than 250 students annually. Alison was honoured with the BC Premier’s Excellence Award and the UBC Wesbrook Scholar Award.

Connecting the Community Quote:

"Having witnessed the importance of stable support and care to children in their early years through my work with The Learning Buddies Network and Canuck Place, I fully support YWCA's early learning and child care program.  I believe this program will have longterm invaluable benefits to our society as we nurture the future generation."

Tara Teng

Tara is a human rights activist who reigned as Miss Canada 2011, using the platform to bring awareness across Canada and Asia on the plight of humans sold into slavery. She has mobilized and lobbied the governments of Canada and Korea to speak out against this injustice, launched Freedom Week 2011 to speak against human slavery and exploitation and was the keynote speaker for the Ignite the Road to Justice Canada Tour, visiting 10 cities across the country. Tara also takes time to mentor student leaders and lobby local communities to take action against human trafficking and slavery. Her extensive advocacy work earned her a nomination by the Globe and Mail as one of the Top 25 Transformational Canadians and as a next generation leader by the Canadian Women of the Year awards.

Connecting the Community Quote:

“Human Trafficking is one of the most extreme forms of violence against women. As an abolitionist, I support the YWCA Vancouver initiative preventing violence against women because gender-based violence is a root cause of exploitation and trafficking. This horrific crime is happening in every Canadian city and cannot be tolerated; all women and their children deserve to live in freedom and safety."

Hope Wang

Hope dreams of one day working in the non-profit sector, tackling youth homelessness and empowering low-income immigrants. She has pursued this dream with vigour by aligning her community involvement and academic decisions to help her succeed. Hope participates in the Vancouver Board of Trade’s Leaders of Tomorrow program where she sits on the Inner-city Sub-committee that focuses on improving conditions within the Downtown Eastside. She has established a strong presence volunteering as Director of Internal Relations with Students in Free Enterprise Simon Fraser, a global student organization dedicated to improving communities worldwide. She also works with Pacific Cinematheque as a Media Education Facilitator to integrate technology and critical thinking skills into elementary schools across the Richmond School District.

Connecting the Community Quote:

“As I sit at home and cheer for my favourite hockey team on television, there are people living without roofs over their head. I support safe and affordable housing because YWCA Vancouver is working to improve the quality of life of at-risk single mothers and their children through a rental assistance program and on-site mentorship to help them establish essential community ties.”