UCalgary students shine in Avenue’s 2026 Top 20 Under 20

Eight University of Calgary students are part of this year's Avenue Magazine annual Top 20 Under 20 celebration, which recognizes the city’s next generation of leaders, builders and innovators.

On April 23, the students were honoured for their outstanding achievements and contributions across a wide range of fields at a special event held at the Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge.

The 2026 cohort reflects the diversity, vision and emerging talent that define Calgary’s spirit.

Recognizing the 2026 UCalgary recipients

Of the 20 recognized during Avenue’s event, eight are UCalgary students:

Izyan Ali

Armed with a camera and ambition, Ali, an electrical engineering student, dove headfirst into filmmaking and debuted his crime-drama short, The Legacy, to more than 100 attendees in 2023. Now a youth ambassador and creative co-host for Ascend, he channels storytelling into community building for Calgary's next generation.

Divakar Gaba

At 19, computer science student Gaba is already using AI to tackle real-world challenges, from building a dehydration-detecting app to winning a national health data competition. Impressively, his work spans health care, legal support and student transportation. 

Lynn Huynh

Raised in Forest Lawn, Huynh saw the potential of the neighbourhood from the beginning. She founded a student-led community initiative at her high school, organized campaigns for local charities, and hand-crocheted bouquets for Alberta Children's Hospital patients. Today, she’s pursuing business at UCalgary.

Divya Jhamb

What started as joining the Calgary Police Cadet Corps at age 12 ended with Jhamb earning the top rank of Chief Cadet. Along the way, she coached youth sports, mentored fellow cadets and is now channelling that same drive into a nursing degree at UCalgary.

Noah Karmali

Once too anxious to make a phone call as a kid, Karmali, now a UCalgary kinesiology student, has since delivered a student TED-Ed talk on the power of human connection and now actively helps young people build the soft skills — like communication and collaboration — needed to thrive in the workplace and beyond.

Laiba Nasir

Growing up with a chronic-illness diagnosis, Nasir was unsettled by her lack of power and choice. So, she founded a youth health advocacy organization and an AI-powered startup that helps young patients understand their own lab results. Now enrolled in Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies at UCalgary, she's making sure no teen feels left in the dark about their own health.

Zehaan Walji

Walji is developing an AI system at UCalgary that could provide real-time medical guidance before first responders even arrive on scene. Piloted at a health-care innovation centre, his research aims to ease the pressure on emergency rooms. Walji studies computer science and biological science at UCalgary.

Shannon Wong

Wong completed advanced music diplomas in violin and piano as a young teen, eventually pivoting to studying electrical engineering, where she quickly became a vocal advocate for women in the field. As president of her campus engineering club, she grew its membership from 73 to more than 2,000 members.