Yasmin Rafiei’s belief that volunteerism and leadership drive social change has inspired her to build initiatives that will improve the lives of both students and patients.

As an undergraduate student at the University of Alberta, Rafiei combined her passions of health, social entrepreneurship and philosophy by pursuing a BSc in Biological Sciences with a minor in sociology. While that – combined with a research position at Dr. James Shapiro’s prestigious laboratory for diabetes research – would be more than enough for many students, Rafiei was also engaged in student group leadership and volunteer work both on and off campus.

Seeing a need to provide opportunities for students and faculty members to connect  and engage on social issues in an innovative, exciting way, Rafiei launched the TEDxUAlberta student group in August 2015, and served as its president for two years. The group has held two conferences featuring student, faculty and alumni speakers on topics ranging from entrepreneurship to indigeneity, and will be holding a third in 2018.

At the same time, Rafiei was also taking her interest in healthcare to the student body through the Health & Wellness Movement, a student group that aims to enhance student wellbeing through initiatives including free fitness events, inexpensive on-campus fruit stands and an annual Health Week event.

Off campus, Rafiei volunteered at the Stollery Children’s Hospital, where her fascination with technology led her launch StollerBOTs, a robotics program for young patients. Her goal was both to bring some joy to long-term patients, but also inspire them to consider pursuing careers in STEM fields.

It was at another off-campus volunteer opportunity, shadowing a health internship at Bellvue Hospital Centre, that Rafiei identified a need to make internship opportunities more accessible to a wider range of students. That led her to spearhead the Venture Healthcare initiative, an immersive health internship for students under-represented in health professions.

The Students’ Union is extremely pleased to recognize Rafiei’s accomplishments by granting her the SU’s highest student honor, the SU Award for Excellence. Winners must demonstrate academic excellence, be involved in extra-curricular activities on or off campus, and work with students, staff and the general public, and receive a $2500 monetary prize as well as a personalized trophy. We wish Rafiei the best on her journey, as she now attends the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, where she is studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics.