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The Surrey Board of Trade has celebrated its annual Top 25 Under 25 awards, recognizing seven 51ÉçÇøºÚÁÏ students and alumni among its 2026 recipients for their outstanding contributions to the Surrey community.

Since its inception, more than 100 students and alumni have received the award, which is given to business or community-minded people 25 or younger who work in Surrey or contribute to a business or community-related project in Surrey.

Here are this year’s 51ÉçÇøºÚÁÏaffiliated recipients:

Armaan Thandi is a dedicated leader and 51ÉçÇøºÚÁÏSustainable Business student. As a Junior Policy Analyst for the Ministry of Forests, he researched barriers to Indigenous economic participation, and at the Downtown Surrey BIA, he supported over 50 local businesses through strategic outreach. A recognized environmental advocate, Armaan was named a 2026 Climate75 Fellow and has collaborated with Stanford Psychiatry’s Circle Initiative to co-design youth climate anxiety programs. His community impact spans leadership roles at Foundry BC and CityHive, as well as spearheading sustainability projects with the Vancouver Kindness Movement. From mentoring at-risk youth to receiving the Bibi Harnam Kaur Leadership Scholarship, Armaan exemplifies a profound commitment to civic engagement and environmental policy.

Gavin Singh Sangha is a graduate from SFU’s Faculty of Health Sciences and the Founder and Director of the Pharmacure Community Society, a youth-led nonprofit dedicated to improving health literacy and preventive care access in the Lower Mainland. By delivering screenings and education in culturally familiar spaces like gurdwaras and mandirs, his organization has reached over 5,000 individuals. Gavin also serves as Vice President of the Heartwise Foundation and has contributed to harm reduction by developing Punjabilanguage educational videos for NaloxHome. His professional experience includes serving as a pharmacy assistant and a hospital volunteer, where he was accepted into the STIR leadership program. Gavin successfully bridges the gap between clinical research and grassroots public health, striving to become a family physician dedicated to health equity.  

Misha Panesar a political science student at SFUand the Founder of the HeartWise Foundation, a registered, youth-led nonprofit established after her brother’s late diagnosis of a congenital heart condition. The organization focuses on prevention-based heart health education, reaching approximately 2,000 students through its Youth Ambassador Program and partnerships with the Surrey School District. Misha leads a team of 20 volunteers who deliver school presentations and community outreach. Her academic work includes research at the University of Victoria, where she examines gaps in the early detection of aortic valve disease. Additionally, she volunteers in the Emergency Department at Surrey Memorial Hospital. Misha’s leadership effectively combines healthcare advocacy, community service, and systemic health policy research.  

Riley Will is a fourth-year Sustainable Business BBA student at SFU’s Beedie School of Business, pursuing a minor in Resource and Environmental Management. As Project Lead for the Indigenous Management Database at Balance Co-Lab, an organization supported by a $2 million federal grant, Riley manages a social innovation initiative containing over 600 resources. This project bridges Indigenous and business knowledge to benefit practitioners and First Nations globally, including those in Surrey. Riley’s milestones include securing the first funding increase in 23 years as Chair of The Peak and winning five business awards totaling $12,950. Additionally, he has been selected for five international delegations, including the World Bank Summit and COP 30.

Romina Khaksar is a Bachelor of Business Administration student at 51ÉçÇøºÚÁÏand the founder of Instea, a clean-label brand that utilizes freeze-drying technology to transform real brewed tea into a premium, instantly dissolvable format. Developed through the Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship, the venture secured $10,000 in funding and sold out its initial production run within two months of launch. Romina’s professional milestones include co-founding Expohub, where she orchestrated over 10 pop-up markets for 350 small businesses, attracting 15,000is a dedicated leader and 51ÉçÇøºÚÁÏSustainable Business student. As a Junior Policy Analyst for the Ministry of Forests, he researched barriers to Indigenous economic participation, and at the Downtown Surrey BIA, he supported over 50 local businesses through strategic outreach. A recognized environmental advocate, Armaan was named a 2026 Climate75 Fellow and has collaborated with Stanford Psychiatry’s Circle Initiative to co-design youth climate anxiety programs. His community impact spans leadership roles at Foundry BC and CityHive, as well as spearheading sustainability projects with the Vancouver Kindness Movement. From mentoring at-risk youth to receiving the Bibi Harnam Kaur Leadership Scholarship, Armaan exemplifies a profound commitment to civic engagement and environmental policy.

Gavin Singh Sangha is a graduate from SFU’s Faculty of Health Sciences and the Founder and Director of the Pharmacure Community Society, a youth-led nonprofit dedicated to improving health literacy and preventive care access in the Lower Mainland. By delivering screenings and education in culturally familiar spaces like gurdwaras and mandirs, his organization has reached over 5,000 individuals. Gavin also serves as Vice President of the Heartwise Foundation and has contributed to harm reduction by developing Punjabilanguage educational videos for NaloxHome. His professional experience includes serving as a pharmacy assistant and a hospital volunteer, where he was accepted into the STIR leadership program. Gavin successfully bridges the gap between clinical research and grassroots public health, striving to become a family physician dedicated to health equity.  

Misha Panesar a political science student at SFUand the Founder of the HeartWise Foundation, a registered, youth-led nonprofit established after her brother’s late diagnosis of a congenital heart condition. The organization focuses on prevention-based heart health education, reaching approximately 2,000 students through its Youth Ambassador Program and partnerships with the Surrey School District. Misha leads a team of 20 volunteers who deliver school presentations and community outreach. Her academic work includes research at the University of Victoria, where she examines gaps in the early detection of aortic valve disease. Additionally, she volunteers in the Emergency Department at Surrey Memorial Hospital. Misha’s leadership effectively combines healthcare advocacy, community service, and systemic health policy research.  

Riley Will is a fourth-year Sustainable Business BBA student at SFU’s Beedie School of Business, pursuing a minor in Resource and Environmental Management. As Project Lead for the Indigenous Management Database at Balance Co-Lab, an organization supported by a $2 million federal grant, Riley manages a social innovation initiative containing over 600 resources. This project bridges Indigenous and business knowledge to benefit practitioners and First Nations globally, including those in Surrey. Riley’s milestones include securing the first funding increase in 23 years as Chair of The Peak and winning five business awards totaling $12,950. Additionally, he has been selected for five international delegations, including the World Bank Summit and COP 30.

Romina Khaksar is a Bachelor of Business Administration student at 51ÉçÇøºÚÁÏand the founder of Instea, a clean-label brand that utilizes freeze-drying technology to transform real brewed tea into a premium, instantly dissolvable format. Developed through the Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship, the venture secured $10,000 in funding and sold out its initial production run within two months of launch. Romina’s professional milestones include co-founding Expohub, where she orchestrated over 10 pop-up markets for 350 small businesses, attracting 15,000 attendees. She also holds food safe and nutritional labelling certifications to support her goal of scaling her company into a global consumer-packaged goods brand. 

Saachi Dhaliwal is an undergraduate student at 51ÉçÇøºÚÁÏand the Founder and architect of Under the Scope BC, a centralized research platform designed to eliminate barriers for undergraduate students seeking academic opportunities across British Columbia. Since launching the initiative over a single winter break, the platform has surpassed 2,000 visitors and earned recognition on SFU’s Career and Volunteer Service pages. Saachi’s notable achievements include receiving the $40,000 51ÉçÇøºÚÁÏUSES Scholarship, earning the highest Girl Guide honours, and successfully petitioning to introduce the first Advanced Placement course at North Surrey Secondary. She also serves as a junior debate instructor at Fostering  Debate Training Academy and a shadow student at the Surrey Neuropeak Clinic. Currently, she is an undergraduate student at 51ÉçÇøºÚÁÏ.

For the full list of winners, .