Two Surrey students receive BC Transplant scholarships for organ donation awareness campaigns

Grade 10 Sullivan Heights Secondary student Malia Kumar (centre) is one of two Surrey Schools recipients of BC Transplant's Live Life. Pass It On. scholarships for raising awareness around organ donation. Kumar's efforts included promoting organ donation at a Vancouver Whitecaps home game in April.

Grade 10 students from Sullivan Heights Secondary and Queen Elizabeth Secondary are among this year’s recipients of BC Transplant’s Live Life. Pass It On. scholarships, awarded to students who have a heart for raising organ donation awareness.

Grade 10 Queen Elizabeth Secondary student Niharika Yadav was recognized with a scholarship from BC Transplant for promoting organ donation after noticing misinformation about organ donation circulating in her own South Asian community.

Malia Kumar of Sullivan Heights Secondary and Niharika Yadav of Queen Elizabeth Secondary were each recognized with the $1,500 scholarship, alongside students from North Delta and Vancouver. The scholarship is for Grade 10 to 12 students who promote organ donation in their schools and communities, affecting positive change among youth and their understanding of organ donation.

Kumar’s awareness efforts were inspired by her mother Anju, who passed suddenly in 2019. As a registered organ donor, Anju saved seven people’s lives, prompting Kumar to share her mother’s story with the Sullivan Heights school community and encourage others to register.

“My desire for this campaign was to spread awareness to people who were unaware of BC Transplant and encourage them to register to become a donor,” said Kumar. “I want people to understand how important it is to give others in need a second chance in life.”

With the support of her dad, Kumar arranged for a BC Transplant volunteer and transplant recipient to speak at her school, her dad’s office and a local bank. Kumar also reached out to the Vancouver Whitecaps, as her family has been long-time season ticket holders, and she and her brother were chosen to share their story at a home game in April, reaching more than 15,000 people through her campaign.

At Queen Elizabeth Secondary, Yadav organized a Green Shirt Day event at the school after noticing misinformation about organ donation in her own South Asian community.

“I found out that organ donation is considered a taboo topic in my community,” said Yadav. “I thought it was interesting considering Hinduism and Sikhism teachings encourage everyone to do selfless acts. Being an organ donor is a selfless act, yet I do not think people see it that way.”

Yadav created a presentation for her peers and made schoolwide announcements to educate others about registering as organ donors. She also set up information tables at a temple for two events and created a radio advertisement on RED FM, dispelling myths about organ donation while raising awareness and speaking to members of her community.

Thank you, Malia and Niharika, for your efforts to raise awareness around organ donation! And congratulations on winning BC Transplant’s Live Life. Pass It On. scholarships!