Every year for the past 15 years, Canadian Immigrant magazine has been honouring immigrants from different walks of life who have had a significant impact in Canada — with its national awards program.
This year, Sobhana Jaya-Madhavan, a Burnaby resident and Simon Fraser University’s associate vice-president of external relations, was named in the magazine's national program as one of the top 25 Canadian Immigrants.
Jaya-Madhavan has dedicated her life and career to community service, and has been the recipient of many awards over the years, including Woman of the Decade from the global Women Economic Forum (WEF).
“For me, this award is all about reflecting upon the journey so far, and asking myself, how can I truly make a difference?” she said in a statement to the NOW.
“It is very humbling to receive the award. But we know the impactful work of so many remains unknown and unrecognized. I think it’s critical to acknowledge that and use this recognition to shed light on people and service which makes our society kinder, fairer and stronger.”
The awards have long highlighted inspiring stories of immigrants across the country from diverse cultures and backgrounds who make Canada a better place.
Jaya-Madhavan was not the only Vancouver-based winner of the awards; another SFU official, Paola Ardiles Gamboa, a Latinx practitioner scholar from Chile and a senior lecturer at the faculty of health sciences was also named one of the top Canadian immigrants.
“We are so proud to announce the recipients in this year’s milestone awards program,” said Canadian Immigrant publisher Sanjay Agnihotri in the press release.
“For 15 years, we have been awed by the stories of our Top 25 inductees, and this year’s winners are a testament to the important role that immigrants play in Canada," Agnihotri said."As we welcome more newcomers to Canada, it’s more important than ever for us to celebrate the important contributions immigrants and refugees make.”
This year’s winners also include film star and vegan advocate Mena Massoud from Ontario and Canadian football MVP Hénoc Muamba, among many more.
Other British Columbians include:
- HRx founder and CEO Wyle Baoween from Vancouver
- Electrical engineer and technology investor Maninder Dhaliwal from Vancouver
- University of Victoria dean of engineering and computer science Mina Hoorfar from Victoria
- Social enterprise leader and community builder Dean Lin from Vancouver/Hope
- Retired trial Crown counsel and community volunteer Winston Sayson from Richmond
