Five Surrey students and one from Langley marked the start of the new school year with accolades with education awards from Coast Capital Savings.
Surrey residents Gurvir Sangha, Ian Wong, Kendall Korda, Laura Musyj, Samuel Chien and Desiree Wallace all received Citizenship Awards for demonstrating strong leadership within their communities while balancing their academic and personal lives.
In total, 48 students from across the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island had their exemplary efforts recognized with awards worth $2,000 to $5,000 each – a total of $144,000.
“What a way to start the school year,” said Musyj, who is currently enrolled at UBC where she continues to work toward her degree in animal biology. “There are so many deserving recipients this year, I can’t believe that I am being recognized alongside such a talented group. It’s a great honour.”
“I feel a certain responsibility to give back to my community so to be rewarded for that just propels me to continue with the work that I do both at school and within the community,” said Wong, also a UBC student.
Currently, Wong dedicates hours of his time to a laundry list of non-profit organizations including SOS Children’s Village, The Canadian Cancer Society and The Special Olympics.
Wendy Lachance, director of Community Leadership at Coast Capital Savings, said the credit union received more than 1,000 award applications this year from across B.C.
“Coast Capital Savings is committed to building a richer future for youth in the communities where we live and work,” she said.
“Contributing to education is a vital component of that commitment. Through our annual Education Awards program, we recognize students who demonstrate a strong civic commitment and the perseverance to overcome challenges while obtaining their education. Those are values that we hold dear in our organization.”