UCalgary celebrates leadership in mental health advocacy with SU Mental Health Award

The University of Calgary's SU Mental Health Award recognizes four exceptional undergraduate students whose dedication to mental health advocacy has made a significant impact on campus. 

The recipients have demonstrated outstanding leadership through initiatives that foster compassionate dialogue, support peers, and champion mental wellness across diverse communities. 

Administered by Student Wellness Services and supported by the Students' Union, the award continues to highlight the transformative power of student-led efforts in creating a more inclusive and supportive university environment. 

Freeha Anjum 

Freeha Anjum’s journey with navigating barriers to care has shaped a passionate, multifaceted approach to advocacy; spanning crisis response, journalism, research, and policy change. As a long-time crisis line responder with Distress Centre Calgary, Anjum has spent over five years providing support to individuals in crisis. 

Recognizing the emotional toll this work can take on frontline responders, she is collaborating with the Centre to develop training modules focused on managing burnout, depersonalization, and emotional resilience, equipping volunteers with tools to sustain their own well-being while supporting others. 

Anjum’s advocacy extended into journalism, where she used storytelling as a tool for empowerment and community building. As a writer for The Gauntlet, she launched Journeys: Student Narratives on Mental Health, a column amplifying student voices and creating space for honest, destigmatized conversations around mental health. 

The overwhelmingly positive response reinforced the power of shared narratives in breaking silence and fostering belonging. 

Research and engaging with policy making

Her work also includes rigorous research and policy engagement. In her second year, Anjum conducted an investigation into Calgary’s youth suicide intervention system, identifying critical gaps through conversations with researchers, policymakers, healthcare providers, and community leaders. 

As part of a mental health advisory group, she contributed insights that helped shape more inclusive research practices, particularly by challenging cultural and religious assumptions that often act as barriers to care in South Asian communities. 

At the provincial level, Anjum played a key role in advocating for Measurement-Based Care (MBC); a system that monitors patient progress to guide timely, preventive clinical decisions. Her advocacy contributed to securing $400,000 in CIHR funding to implement MBC across nine Alberta clinics. 

Within the University of Calgary, Anjum conducted research on developmental brain changes in preschool children with, and without, ADHD symptoms, marking the first study to explore changes in children this young. Her work has helped lay the foundation for earlier intervention strategies for ADHD. 

This research, presented at several conferences including the seventh International Conference on Youth Mental Health in Vancouver, earned her the SU Faculty of Science URS award. 

She also led wellness initiatives through the Scholars Academy program, introducing tailored mental health resources, redesigning student spaces, and launching a mental health-focused little free library. 

She also serves on a neurodivergent working group, using her experiences to inform improvements in work-integrated learning. 

Duaa-Azeem Choudhary 

Duaa-Azeem Choudhary’s work is shaped by lived experience, cultural awareness, and a commitment to systemic change. 

Witnessing mental health struggles and learning difficulties go undiagnosed due to cultural pressure in her community, Choudhary was inspired to make mental health care more inclusive and accessible. 

As a pre-med student, Choudhary experienced the toll of academic pressure and burnout, which fueled their advocacy in educational spaces. She organized and spoke at university panels alongside counselors, doctors, life coaches, and graduate students, emphasizing the importance of stress management and self-care. 

Founding the Mental Health Expo

This passion culminated in the founding of the Mental Health Expo through Choudhary’s leadership in Youth Lifting Youth, a youth-led organization that empowers marginalized communities through education and advocacy. The Expo has reached over 1,000 attendees and is now an annual event. Collaborations with over 20 partners, including Jack.Org, Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and University of Calgary social work researchers, have ensured attendees receive long-term support. 

Choudhary’s outreach extends deep into immigrant communities. She hosted expos at the Genesis Centre to reach entire families and led intergenerational conversations with doctors about trauma and healing. 

Her Facebook Live sessions with Abid Khan engaged South Asian parents across Canada, and appearance on Red FM, Calgary’s leading South Asian radio station, encouraged families to attend events together, challenging traditional norms and promoting open dialogue. 

Changing mental health resources at UCalgary

Institutionally, Choudhary has worked with UCalgary’s Verity Turpin, Vice Provost of Student Experience, to advocate for culturally competent mental health professionals on campus. 

Additionally, her role as volunteer coordinator for Maskan, a shelter for women and children fleeing domestic violence, involved working on a government-funded initiative to improve access to mental health services for vulnerable populations. 

Choudhary plans to integrate this advocacy into a future career in medicine, aiming to influence public policy and develop culturally inclusive mental health programs that treat mental health with the same urgency and equity as physical health. 

Rizam Goyal 

Rizam Goyal’s commitment to mental health advocacy stems from a deeply personal understanding of how challenging it can be to navigate emotional and psychological pain in silence. 

He has witnessed firsthand how people, including those he cares about, often conceal their struggles for fear of judgment, pushing themselves to their limits without seeking help. 

As an Orientation Leader at the University of Calgary, he worked with over 100 first-year students, many of whom grappled with anxiety, imposter syndrome, and self-doubt. He took the initiative to create open, honest dialogues about mental health, encouraging students to speak about their struggles with the same openness as they would physical health issues.  

Developing tech to help with everyday physical pain

Goyal joined the University of Calgary’s Launchpad Program, where he is developing a wearable technology designed to ease period pain and the emotional stress associated with it. 

Rizam recognizes that chronic pain, even something as common as menstrual discomfort, can significantly impact mental health. His innovative solution aims to relieve physical symptoms while promoting relaxation and stress reduction, emphasizing that mental health care is about more than therapy; it’s about providing everyday solutions that enhance well-being. 

Looking ahead, Rizam is determined to continue expanding his advocacy efforts. He aims to strengthen peer support initiatives, develop new mental health-focused technologies, and work towards more comprehensive mental health support systems within academic spaces. 

For Rizam, mental health advocacy is a passion and a core part of who he is. He’s committed to ensuring that no one has to reach their breaking point before asking for help, and he’ll continue to push for mental health to be treated with the urgency, respect, and support it deserves. 

Marilou Landry  

Marilou Landry is a passionate mental health advocate with a lifelong mission to uplift youth and push for systemic change. 

From a young age, Landry faced significant personal mental health challenges that left her feeling isolated and unsupported. Despite these early difficulties, she found empowerment through community engagement, becoming a youth spokesperson at the age of 10 for a resource camp, discovering the healing power of advocacy and the impact of turning personal pain into collective purpose. 

Throughout her education, Landry remained active in wellness clubs and leadership initiatives, determined to create safe spaces where others could thrive. Her commitment deepened during her time with the French Youth Federation of New Brunswick, where she served as the Northwest Representative on the youth board. 

In this role, she advocated directly to provincial and federal leaders about the need for increased mental health funding, especially during the pandemic, and co-developed initiatives voted on by youth to improve psychological safety in schools. 

Pageants create opportunities to raise mental health issues

Combining advocacy with visibility, Landry began participating in pageants, using her platform to promote self-confidence and mental health awareness, earning her titles such as Miss Teen Personality Canada 2022 and Miss Teen Personality North America. 

These platforms became powerful tools to inspire others to overcome barriers and believe in their worth. 

After relocating to Calgary, Landry faced new challenges including financial hardship and housing instability. Rather than giving up, she used her national title and personal story to support others. She became a Jack Talks Speaker with Jack.org, sharing mental health education and personal insights with youth across Canada. 

She also is a content creator with the organization, producing monthly videos on topics like ADHD, disability, homelessness, and the intersection of social media and mental health. 

Supporting young people aging out of care

Currently, Landry is launching Foster Empower, a youth-led nonprofit aimed at supporting individuals aging out of the care system. The organization connects youth to resources related to mental health, housing, education, and daily essentials. 

Through her unwavering dedication, Landry is paving the way for a future where mental health is prioritized, and compassionate leadership drives meaningful change. 

Mental Health Award and the Quality Money program

The SU Mental Health Award is part of the Quality Money program, a partnership between the Students’ Union and the University of Calgary that gives the campus community a unique opportunity to bring forward ideas leading to the enhancement of the overall student experience. The program has contributed to the well-being, mental health, physical fitness, and general safety of the campus community.