WIC Alum Mariam Alshaikh Named One of Calgary’s Top 20 Under 20!

Celebrating a Trailblazer for International Women’s Day

In partnership with YMCA Calgary, Avenue Magazine announced WIC Alum Mariam Alshaikh '24 as one of its Top 20 Under 20 – an award that features the rising stars of our next generation who are making their communities, the city and the world a better place. 

Joining WIC in Grade 10, Mariam made the most of her time in and outside of the College. Not only did she receive four Institute Certificates, she was also selected as a co-Head Prefect and as the Class of 2024 Valedictorian. Mariam is currently a first-year engineering student at UBC. 

After seeing the pandemic expose the stigma around mental health, Mariam joined the Alberta Children's Hospital Youth Council. Here, she worked with other youth to help break down the mental health stigma through social media, events, and promotion of The Summit - a youth resilience centre that opened up in 2023.

While at WIC, Mariam played a big role in the STEM Fellowship, as she planned and participated in initiatives like slime events and a water balloon fundraiser that raised money for Alberta Children's Hospital new mental health centre.  

Her biggest takeaway from attending WIC was the importance of trying anything and everything. She says, “The teachers and all of the opportunities like Institutes gave me the confidence to pursue whatever I found interesting even if it was not necessarily a route I intended on pursuing as a career.”

When asked what advice she would give to current WIC students, Mariam says, “What you put into your time at WIC is what you will get out of it. There are so many opportunities to get involved and develop what you are interested in, with teachers and other support throughout - an opportunity doesn't mean anything unless you take advantage of it. Junior and senior high school is a time to simply try without the pressure of being stuck in one lane.” 

Congratulations on being recognized as one of Calgary’s Top 20 under 20, Mariam! 

Celebrate Mariam and the Top 20 Under 20

Contributor 

Jordan Rebagliati
Communications Officer