Winners of the 2018 President's Award announced

The University of Calgary is pleased to announce the recipients of the President’s Award for Excellence in Student Leadership for June 2018. The award was established in 2008 to recognize exceptional students who have a record of academic achievement, consistently demonstrate leadership and make significant contributions to our community. Above, clockwise from upper left: Rena Far, Samuel Geisterfer, Gabrielle Wagner, and Simei (Amy) Li.

• Rena Far, Bachelor of Health Sciences (First Class Honours) in Biomedical Sciences 

During her time at UCalgary, Rena Far has been a passionate volunteer, devoted mentor, gifted musician and outstanding student. She contributed more than 600 volunteer hours on campus, including her work as co-founder and chair of the Mental Health Alliance and co-president of the Mental Health Awareness Club. Having played the violin daily for more than 17 years, Far’s musical achievements include three solo performances with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and the prestigious role of orchestra concertmaster for UCalgary’s 50th anniversary concert. Committed to using her talents to help others, she joined the Neurorehabilitation Summer Concert Series and performed concerts at Foothills Hospital for patients recovering from strokes and other brain injuries. As a participant in the Young Artists Development Program, she and two other musicians performed at elementary schools throughout Calgary. Far has also produced multiple award-winning presentations based on her biomedical sciences research.

• Samuel Geisterfer, Bachelor of Arts in Economics (with Distinction) and Bachelor of Science (First Class Honours) in Natural Sciences

Samuel Geisterfer’s dedicated leadership has inspired many other students to get involved on campus and in their community. During his time as president of the UCalgary Rotaract club, membership grew more than tenfold and, during the federal election, he was recognized as the most outstanding volunteer during the Get Out The Vote campaign on campus, which contacted more than 8,300 student voters. Geisterfer has also worked to build engagement on campus through a variety of other leadership roles including president of the Students of the Arts and Science Honours Academy, natural science representative for the Science Students' Society, vice-president and communications director of the Outdoor Adventurers club, a peer assisted study sessions leader, and VP academic for the Consent Awareness and Sexual Education Club. Beyond campus, Geisterfer co-organized a Sombrilla International Development Society trip to Peru to build a community centre alongside members of the Indigenous community of Yurac Yacu

• Simei (Amy) Li, Doctor of Medicine

Simei (Amy) Li’s passion for building healthy communities has touched many lives on campus and beyond. Her work as a crisis line volunteer inspired her to co-found Outrun the Stigma — a mental health awareness initiative that now includes three cities and more than 2,000 students. She also founded the Distress Centre on Campus club, which promotes early intervention in mental illness and educates students on resources. As a Student Union representative, Li created a peer mentorship program to help new students transition to university and, as chair of the Government Affairs and Advocacy Committee for the Canadian Federation of Medical Students, she organized two provincial advocacy days. In the community, Li co-founded the Brainiacs club to introduce children to neuroscience and other STEM topics. As a student clinician at Mosaic Refugee Clinic, she assisted physicians and helped refugees navigate the Canadian health care system. A dedicated student, Li has received two Alberta Innovates Health Solutions (AIHS) Summer Studentships for neuroscience research.

• Gabrielle Wagner, Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences (with Distinction)

With a passion for providing support to marginalized populations, Gabrielle Wagner has helped many individuals access services to address the barriers they face. As a co-coordinator of the SU Campus Food Bank, she organized emergency food relief for more than 550 individuals and a nutritious breakfast for more than 2,000 students. Wagner served as a project leader for the ucalgarycares Homelessness at Home service-learning program, which focused on understanding the unique experiences of individuals facing homelessness, and as a director on the national leadership team of Outrun the Stigma, a student-led initiative to increase mental health awareness on campus. She also helped found and co-directed the Students Against Domestic Abuse Association. As a student in the Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Department of Paediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, Gabrielle has presented her research at conferences and published several journal articles.

To learn more about this award, visit the President’s Award for Excellence website.