Six Surrey students receive $40,000 scholarships from Cmolik Foundation

Surrey Schools is proud to announce six students in the district are each receiving $40,000 scholarships from the Cmolik Foundation toward their post-secondary education.

Students from Guildford Park, Panorama Ridge, Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth and Tamanawis secondary schools are the latest scholarship winners, recognized for their academic achievements, work ethic, philanthropy and ability to overcome adversity. These are their stories:

Simrat Binning, Panorama Ridge Secondary

Growing up, Simrat Binning went through tough financial circumstances and complicated grief related to the loss of a family member. But despite her hardships, she overcame them while being a star student who has been involved in extracurricular sports, school clubs and community efforts to better herself.

An avid swimmer, Binning volunteers at a local aquatics facility, teaching students with disabilities how to swim in the adapted aquatics program.

"I've experienced firsthand how role models have positively influenced me, and that's what I wanted to do for them," she said.

Thanks to the Cmolik Foundation scholarship, Binning intends to pursue an undergraduate degree in biochemistry at UBC or health sciences at SFU, and later attend medical school to become a physician specializing in internal medicine.

"I want to learn more about bodily processes," she said. "I want to be able to use that now and drive myself forward to help other people with their own problems."

Chandni Ambwani, Tamanawis Secondary

When Chandni Ambwani was three years old, her father suffered a stroke, paralyzing him on his right side. Overnight, with her father on disability, her family now relied on a single income, with her mother working three jobs to afford their basement suite, without a vehicle to get around.

But no matter what was going on at home, that didn't stop her from excelling academically.

"School has been my outlet with everything going on at home," she said. "That's where I would focus all my energy. At a young age, I learned to develop really strong studying techniques and that would be how I coped with everything."

Between caring for her family and maintaining good grades, Ambwani also found time to volunteer with the City of Surrey, the City of Delta, the Surrey Food Bank and the Canadian Cancer Society. She gained a leadership role with the City of Surrey from volunteering, which has helped her persevere and gain confidence in the face of adversity.

"When I look back, I didn't realize how hard it was," she said. "Now I realize I've come through so much, and I'm proud of that."

Ambwani has applied to the life sciences program at the University of Toronto, where she intends to earn a degree in radiation therapy.

Ethan Boros, Guildford Park Secondary

Guildford Park senior Ethan Boros is considered hardworking, friendly, punctual, industrious and well-spoken among his peers. He is an exemplary student, known for his quality schoolwork and helping his classmates with their assignments.

His family dynamics have been challenging through his teenage years, following an incident involving his sister some years back. However, Boros has handled these struggles with grace and calm, filling the role of a supportive big brother when others might shy away. He has grown through hardship and come out the other side a strong young man.

Boros is also a key player on Guildford Park rugby team, serving as a role model to the junior players by demonstrating goodwill and sportsmanship to his teammates and opponents. Physical activity has been an outlet for him to work through the emotional stress he has experienced.

With the scholarship from the Cmolik Foundation, Boros wants to follow in the footsteps of his educational heroes and become a teacher, focusing on social studies (to the chagrin[SR1]  of his calculus teacher, who believes teaching math is his true calling).

Umber Qasmi, Guildford Park Secondary

In her five years at Guildford Park, Umber Qasmi proved to be an outstanding student who demonstrated honesty, reliability, maturity and dedication to her studies.

Over the last two years of secondary school, she maintained an A average while completing an academically rigorous course load and working part-time. She exemplified exceptional time management, organizational skills and an unmatched work ethic.

Additionally, Qasmi took on numerous volunteer opportunities while in secondary school, including working on the Grade 8 retreat, assisting in a stem cell donation campaign, guiding parents at parent teacher interviews and helping set up various events at Guildford Park.

Her positive attitude and commitment to academic achievement served her well at Guildford Park, and continues to do so at Langara College, where she is studying for a degree in health sciences. She would like to attend medical school to specialize in neurology, and wants to do a seven-year surgical residency in Toronto. She also hopes being in this field will allow her to work with organizations such as Doctors Without Borders.

Chris Yeung, Princess Margaret Secondary

Senior Chris Yeung has been a model student at Princess Margaret, in spite of immense challenges in his private life. Yeung has exhibited strong work ethic and leadership skills that are foundational to his academic success and ability to overcome life's issues.

Yeung has maintained good grades while keeping very busy with extracurricular activities, part-time work and volunteering. Since Grade 8, he has been a part of the school's band program, and more recently the school choir, showcasing his affinity for music.

He has volunteered at the Vancouver Aquarium, the long-term care home Laurel Place, and with the Red Fox Program, a leadership program that connects secondary and elementary students through afterschool activities. He has also worked part-time at Shoppers Drug Mart and in the school cafeteria.

Yeung considers the Cmolik Foundation scholarship a "life-changing opportunity" and is excited to attend Kwantlen Polytechnic University in the fall, studying in the physics for modern technology program in the Faculty of Science. He wants to also acknowledge and thank the Princess Margaret community for all of their support for him and his family over the last five years.

Giuseppe Fasciani, Queen Elizabeth Secondary

Queen Elizabeth senior Giuseppe Fasciani comes from a low-income immigrant household, and grew up facing poverty when a car accident forced his father into early retirement. As a result, his family couldn't afford to pay for him to join the elementary soccer team, and he was bullied for wearing hand-me-down clothes and having a speech impediment.

But none of that stopped Fasciani from prevailing over adversity. He managed to do well in school, excelling especially in economics, accounting and entrepreneurship. He started QE's chess club and joined the secondary soccer team, while also volunteering his time to such programs as Jumpstart in Whalley.

Fasciani's giving spirit, paired with a hardworking upbringing and deep-rooted values, led him to be a successful candidate for the Cmolik Foundation scholarship. He intends to study accounting at Simon Fraser University's Beedie School of Business to become a chartered professional accountant.