April 4, 2025

UCalgary alumni and students among Alberta’s Top 30 Under 30

Honourees range from former SU president to fashion-upcycling initiative founder

Author

Communications Staff

A collage of three people
From left: Ronaar Qureshi, Nidhi Kotikalapudi, Ermia Rezaei-Afsah, honoured in the Top 30 under 30 for initiatives that create positive change. Esther Dimalanta (Artist)

Students and alumni from the University of Calgary are among this year’s Alberta’s Top 30 Under 30 honourees.

Each year, the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation (ACGC) acknowledges and raises awareness of the efforts of young individuals who contribute toward achieving the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

The theme for the 14th cohort is Past, Present, Future: Celebrating the Journey from Yesterday to Tomorrow.

The 16 students and alumni included in the list were nominated by their community and selected by a committee of peers for their efforts in making the world a more just, fair and sustainable place for everyone.

The award recipients are involved in fields including diversity in health care, sustainability, mental health stigma, access to education, gender equality and more.

2025 UCalgary Top 30 Under 30 recipients

Click their names for their ACGC profiles:

The stories behind the success

Among the honourees is Students’ Union President Ermia Rezaei-Afsah.

Rezaei-Afsah has worked with previous SU President Shaziah Jinnah Morsett to improve food security on campus by creating the SU Quality Meal. The $3 meal is a vegan and gluten-free stew available at The Den.

He says he has learned that “respect means taking care of a person, taking care of yourself, showing people grace, showing yourself grace, being kind to people, understanding that mistakes can be made, understanding that life is hard and that's just a given.”

Verity Turpin, vice-provost (student experience), who nominated Rezaei-Afsah, said: “Ermia’s focus on listening to students and his intention and commitment to delivering meaningful and relevant support for students made him a standout candidate for the nomination."

Another award winner, Ronaar Qureshi, notes how the hardships of the people around him inspired him to co-found Inform Cannabis, an AI-powered, simulation-based educational game to combat youth drug abuse.

Inform Cannabis was developed through conversations with teachers, counsellors, public health experts and people in recovery. “Acknowledging the fact that, as human beings, we all have biases, we all have things that we can work on,” says Qureshi. “I have things that I can work on.”

Working on biases is not his only goal when it comes to creating a more equitable society: “I think that it really starts with not just hearing but listening to people,” Qureshi says. “And that's something that I'm really trying to implement in my own life.”

Creating societal change is not easy, says Nidhi Kotikalapudi, who was also honoured. Kotikalapudi is the founder of The Aquativity Project, an initiative that merges sustainable and South Asian fashion through upcycling.

“I think when you start something, it's really scary because you don't know how people will react to it,” she says.

“But, if your heart says that you should pursue something, then you 100-per-cent should, no matter what other people think.” 

Commenting on the UCalgary students and alumni among the top 30 under 30, Turpin says: “Congratulations to these inspiring changemakers. Your efforts and dedication are truly commendable. By tackling challenges head-on, you are creating positive change in our community and paving the way for a brighter tomorrow.” 

Honourees were celebrated with an award ceremony on Feb. 8. For more information on the recipients, visit the webpage.

Tags