International Community Achievement Award

The International Community Achievement Award (ICAA) application period is now closed for the 2025-2026 academic year. The ICAA Guidelines for the 2025-2026 academic year can be found here, as well as within our Nomination Form. 

ICAA Review Panel

The review panel may comprise a mix of professors from various faculties, a representative from the International Student Initiative portfolio, and a Global Engagement Office staff member. Recipients are notified by email.

Recipients 2025

2025-2026 Winner Bios 

International Community Achievement Award  – five recipients

Fikayo Adeleke

Fikayo is a third-year Philosophy, Political Science and Economics (PPE) major with a dual degree in Master’s in Management. She is a South African born of Nigerian parents and has experienced the best of both cultures. In addition, she is from a very community-oriented household, and this has shaped her world outlook. Initially, she feared she would be isolated in Canada, but was pleasantly surprised to find a welcoming community in UBCO. This informed her decision to help cultivate a community that would be home for other students.

To this end, she served as the president of the African Caribbean Student Club in her second year. Currently, she serves as co-president due to her numerous other commitments. She is committed to making people feel seen while sharing and educating others about different cultures.

She is one of the community specialists for the Black Student Success Program. Her job consists of planning social and educational events. She uses this position to also advocate for the rights of students.

Fikayo uses the South African phrase “Ubuntu,” which encapsulates her philosophy. It means “I am because we are”. I am who I am only because of my community, so I want to give back to this community.

Mallika Singh

Mallika Singh is a Psychology major with a minor in Sociology at UBC Okanagan, deeply committed to mental health advocacy, community engagement, and interdisciplinary leadership. Her service journey began with Teach for India and continued in Canada through crisis line volunteering and work with the Canadian Mental Health Association.

At UBCO, Mallika facilitates the Peer Support Network, managing a team of 20 volunteers, and has held leadership roles including Secretary of the Taekwondo Club, DAE Ambassador, Vice President of Events for the Cooking Club, and Advisory Committee member of the Society of Scholars. She also serves as an SVPRO Consent Ambassador, promoting consent culture and sexualized violence prevention on campus. Beyond campus, she volunteers with the Okanagan Food Bank and has supported Habitat for Humanity fundraising efforts.

Mallika has completed Restorative Justice Facilitator Training (BGCO/RCMP) and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST). Academically, she is a Dean’s List student, a co-investigator under Dr. Paul Gabias, and an IURA researcher exploring gendered scent perception. She aspires to work in clinical research settings that integrate psychological research with applied mental health support.

Shreya Saxena

Shreya Saxena is a fourth-year Computer Science Honours student at the University of British Columbia Okanagan whose leadership spans technology, research, and global engagement. Her work focuses on building scalable systems and communities that translate innovation into meaningful societal impact.
Shreya founded the UBC Okanagan Artificial Intelligence Club and grew it into an organization delivering hands-on learning, mentorship, and industry collaboration in artificial intelligence. She has also served as a student-at-large on the SUO Oversight Committee, where she represented student concerns and contributed to institutional decision-making. Her research contributions include wildfire risk and resilience initiatives, where she helped develop data-driven dashboards using regional sensor networks to support preparedness and decision-making across the Okanagan. These efforts were shaped by her firsthand experience with wildfire evacuations, grounding her work in community need.

Beyond academia, Shreya has held leadership and engineering roles in industry, including internships at Ericsson and Amazon, where she supported technical teams and coordinated student initiatives. She has also represented UBCO internationally, including at the Absa Inspire Me Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, engaging with global innovators on technology and resilience.
Her work has been featured by UBC News, UBC Magazine, The Phoenix News, the Mediaplanet Canadian Innovation series, and the International Fire & Safety Journal, reflecting her commitment to globally relevant, responsible leadership.

Surya Krishna

Surya is a Mechanical Engineering student at UBC Okanagan from Bangalore, India, who has become an active leader within the engineering community on campus. He co-founded and now serves as Co-President of Engineers in Action Okanagan, where he helped grow the chapter to more than 60 members and organized fundraising efforts that supported UBCO’s first international bridge build in Bolivia. This year, he is helping guide the club through two major projects at once, including a new bridge build and a WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) initiative, while continuing to run professional development events for students. Surya has also contributed to the UBCO Motorsports team and completed 16 months of industry co-op, gaining experience that he brings back to his peers. He is proud to play a role in strengthening student engagement in the School of Engineering and in demonstrating the impact UBCO students can have locally and internationally.

Vera Rosenblueth

Vera Rosenblueth is a third-year PPE student at UBC Okanagan whose academic and community work is rooted in a commitment to equity and migration justice. Originally from Mexico City, she uses her interdisciplinary training to explore themes of global inequality, decolonization, and border politics, and she views community engagement as a way to advocate for the issues she cares about. Her field experience in Malta and Greece deepened her understanding of the social and political forces shaping migration, a focus she continues to pursue locally through RAMA Okanagan by supporting educational programming and research outreach for migrant agricultural workers.

On campus, Vera has been engaged through two years of volunteer work with Pantry, UBCO’s food bank initiative, and through her role as an Intercultural Development Program Assistant, where she helped facilitate workshops that foster meaningful cross-cultural dialogue. She additionally serves as a DAE Ambassador and has contributed to the Society of Scholars Advisory Committee, advancing student support and community building.

Lesley Cormack Award – five Recipients

Spencer Liu

Spencer Liu is a second-year student in HES and the Dual Degree Master of Management program. My passion lies in transforming academic learning into meaningful community impact. At UBCO, I support new students as an International Peer, and I apply HES principles to promote inclusive sport through my volunteer work with the Canucks Autism Network and Special Olympics BC. Looking forward, my academic and career ambition is to create lasting value in athlete development and human health. I will carry this honour with me as I continue advancing my knowledge in sport science throughout my degree and contributing to the community.

Lamia Abdullah

(no Bios provided)

Sheila kiarie

(no Bios provided)

Sharanya Vijay

(no Bios provided)

Harmandeep Kaur Memorial Award – one recipients

Peter Idoko

Peter Idoko is a fifth-year Computer Science student with a minor in Management, known for his “people-first” approach to leadership and a deep commitment to cultural celebration. His journey at UBC Okanagan began in Student Housing, where he served as a Residence Advisor for two years. In this role, he led the Intercultural Living Learning Community (LLC) and was instrumental in reimagining the campus’s Intercultural Gala. 

Currently, Peter serves as the President of the Students’ Union Okanagan (SUO), where he focuses on increasing the Union’s visibility, building trust, and advocating for student needs. His dedication to the campus extends to his roles as a Destination UBC Coordinator and a Student Ambassador, where he supports prospective and incoming students. Beyond the university, Peter is an active member of the Kelowna community; he volunteers with Africans in the Okanagan, serves at his local church, and is a frequent performer at events across the region, from Vernon to Penticton.