UCalgary's SU Mental Health Award recognizes students for their advocacy in mental health and wellbeing

The University of Calgary's Student Union (SU) Mental Health Award is awarded to four individuals who have gone above and beyond in an effort to create a more positive and compassionate campus. Through charity, community, faith and ducks these four students are leaving a lasting mark on campus and continuing ongoing and sometimes difficult conversations around mental health.

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. 

Jason Ngu 

Jason Ngu’s mental health advocacy began with a simple but urgent question: how do we make it easier for someone to say, “I’m not okay”? In the winter of 2024, that question took an unexpected form when a small action, duck-shaped snow creatures around campus, snowballed into something much bigger. Known widely on campus as “Duck Guy,” Ngu soon found himself at the centre of a movement that would reshape student conversations around mental health.  

What started as an act of care evolved into the Snow Duck Project, a student-driven, grassroots mental health movement that created an accessible entry point into conversations that are often difficult to begin. Through curiosity, play and shared experience, the initiative lowered barriers and encouraged connection in a way that felt organic and distinctly student-led. As it spread, students and staff began opening up about anxiety, burnout, loneliness, financial stress, and grief, revealing the need to build something more intentional and sustained.  

That evolution unfolded in three phases. Catch Me If You Can (2024/25) was defined by spontaneity: a whimsical, campus-wide phenomenon that sparked joy and connection without formal structure. Don’t Forget to Love the World! (2025/26) marked a turning point. Following his own mental health experiences, including conversations with the Distress Centre and months of therapy, Ngu shifted the project toward more intentional advocacy, using its reach to connect students and staff with mental health resources. The third phase, For You, Because It Mattered To Me (2025/26), focuses on sustainability, exploring how the movement can remain part of campus culture long-term.  

Ngu expanded the project through dozens of collaborations, integrating it into initiatives like UFlourish while aligning with the Campus Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy. Working alongside the Office of Institutional Commitments, Campus Wellness Services and countless other student and faculty organizations, he helped deliver programming that engaged thousands and connected them directly to support. 

For You, Because It Mattered to Me

This work culminated in For You, Because It Mattered to Me, a large-scale mental health performance and arts collaboration involving more than a dozen campus groups. Designed as a celebration of art, community, and mental health, the event brought together creative expression, personal storytelling and advocacy, modelling how the movement could continue collaboratively within the UCalgary community.  

Ngu also ensured that awareness translated into tangible impact. Through coordinated merchandise releases with the campus bookstore, official Snow Duck products consistently sold out, raising thousands of dollars for the Students’ Greatest Needs Fund and supporting students in crisis.  

Ngu’s advocacy has contributed to broader institutional change. By working with faculty, administration and student leaders, he has helped create more intentional spaces for belonging, particularly in academic environments where isolation can be common. His involvement on the Student Health and Well-being Advisory Council further extends this work into policy and long-term strategy. 

Shaped by his own experiences with mental health challenges, Ngu’s work reflects a deep understanding of the barriers students face. From a small act of kindness to a movement reaching millions, he has helped foster a culture where students feel more comfortable speaking openly, accessing support, and knowing they are not alone, because sometimes, meaningful change begins one snow duck at a time. 

Anosha Riaz 

Anosha Riaz is a first-year law student at UCalgary whose involvement is influenced by her own experiences navigating cultural stigma around mental health, familial expectations, and limited access to culturally responsive care. Her experiences seeking support in environments where mental health is often misunderstood or discouraged have shaped her understanding of the barriers individuals may face in accessing care. This has driven her commitment to reducing mental health stigma and expanding access to culturally responsive support. Anosha believes in giving back through mentorship and advocacy. 

As a columnist for a Pakistani newspaper, Anosha uses storytelling to challenge stigma surrounding mental health in South Asian communities, crafting narratives that are both culturally sensitive and accessible. Her writing focuses on reframing mental wellness through familiar cultural and religious perspectives, encouraging more open and informed conversations around seeking support. 

Kindness in the community

Beyond her writing, Anosha supports community-based mental health initiatives through her work with NISA Foundation, where she contributes to programming for women facing mental health and cultural challenges. She is also the co-founder of The Kindness Kompany, a nonprofit focused on community wellness initiatives. 

Within UCalgary, Anosha integrates mental health advocacy into her mentorship roles with the South Asian Law Students’ Association, where she emphasizes a holistic approach to student success. She strives to create spaces where mentees can openly discuss burnout, imposter syndrome and academic pressures while sharing coping strategies and encouraging help-seeking behaviours. Anosha continues her student-minded contributions to the legal community through her involvement with Pro Bono Students Canada and her role as a Student Chair with the Canadian Bar Association, supporting student engagement and professional development. 

Anosha’s work is shaped by a commitment to making mental health support more accessible and culturally responsive. Through her efforts, she continues to challenge stigma and create spaces where individuals feel seen and empowered to prioritize their well-being. 

Nebila Wako 

Nebila Wako’s approach to mental health advocacy is shaped by her lived experience with grief, instability, and a deep understanding of how these challenges impact overall well-being. After losing her father at a young age, she developed an awareness of how financial strain, housing insecurity, and uncertainty are closely tied to mental health. This perspective continues to guide her work across campus and community spaces.   

As Vice President Internal Affairs for Muslims Without Borders UCalgary, Nebila has led student-driven initiatives that translate compassion into measurable impact. Within four months, her team raised over $84,000 through coordinated advocacy, including more than $33,000 directed toward improving access to stable housing, education, and essential resources for orphans.  

She also led her team’s contribution to the Students’ Union Pack the Pantry initiative, collecting over a thousand pounds of non-perishable items to address food insecurity and its impact on student mental well-being. Her leadership contributed to her team being recognized with the SU Community Service Award.  

Mentorship Above and Beyond 

Building community is central to Nebila’s work. As a Community Ambassador in Residence Services, she fosters an inclusive and welcoming environment where students can talk about their mental health and access support. As an ambassador and mentor Nebila strives to make the first steps of your university journey positive ones. She recognizes that transitioning to university can be overwhelming and works to ensure students feel supported and connected. Through events programming, peer engagement, and one-on-one support, she creates safe spaces and connects students to campus resources.

Beyond campus, Nebila’s volunteer work reflects her commitment to addressing structural factors affecting mental health. She has contributed over a hundred hours with Habitat for Humanity Southern Alberta, building homes for low-income families, and has volunteered at the Calgary Drop-In and Rehab Centre, supporting individuals experiencing homelessness.  

These experiences have strengthened her focus on stability, dignity, and access as key pillars of wellbeing. Nebila is grounded in a goal to build communities where people feel seen, supported, and empowered to seek help. She hopes to continue this work through advocacy, fundraising, and raising awareness of available resources so individuals know where to turn for support. 

Charis Larue  

Charis LaRue’s mental-health advocacy is rooted in a personal understanding of loneliness and the need for affirming community. After growing up feeling that safe, accessible spaces for connection were hard to find, LaRue committed to building the environment she once needed: one where women and gender-diverse people could feel welcome and celebrated.   

That commitment led her to found Girls Who Like to Do Things (GWLTDT) a Calgary-based volunteer-led organization dedicated to reducing loneliness through community connection, social events, advocacy, volunteer programming, and local fundraising. Since its first eight-person gathering in August 2024, GWLTDT has grown into a thriving community that has hosted over 150 events and welcomed over 4,000 unique participants. Its programming includes Galentine’s celebrations, yoga classes, craft nights, feminist book clubs, and community service initiatives.   

As founder and president, LaRue leads a team of 13 volunteers and has dedicated thousands of hours to the organization. Under her leadership, GWLTDT hosts an average of six events per month while remaining entirely volunteer-run, a choice rooted in accessibility and the belief that cost should never prevent someone from joining a supportive community space. 

Girls Who Like To Do Things 

LaRue has embedded advocacy and community service into GWLTDT’s mission. Through its Community Action team, the organization launched a quarterly fundraising initiative to support local groups serving women and gender-diverse communities. Recent efforts have supported the Canadian Immigrant Women’s Association, raising over $5,000, and include ongoing partnerships with the Women’s Centre of Calgary, Fear Is Not Love, and Women in Need Society.   

Her commitment to youth mental health extends beyond GWLTDT. For over two years, LaRue has volunteered with the Women’s Centre of Calgary’s after-school girls’ program, facilitating weekly conversations with students in grades four through nine about confidence, advocacy, identity, and belonging. She has also spoken with organizations like the BeaYOUtiful Foundation and Calgary Charter Girls School, using her platform to discuss loneliness, leadership, and the importance of building community.   

For LaRue, mental health advocacy is not only about encouraging individuals to seek help; it is also about creating environments that enable well-being. Through GWLTDT, youth mentorship, and community advocacy, she has turned her own experience into something that helps others, creating the kinds of rooms and relationships she once needed for thousands of people.