Toronto teens honoured with Ontario Junior Citizen Awards nomination
February 15, 2017 | Etobicoke Guardian
Pictured: Toronto nominees of the Ontario Junior Citizen Awards, Soheila Mosun (left) Serena Habib and Seher Sarin celebrate their achievement with Metroland Media Toronto Managing Editor, Georgia Balogiannis.
Serena Habib, Soheila Mosun and Seher Sarin are being recognized for inspiring change in their communities.
The students were presented with certificates of recognition after being nominated for the Ontario Junior Citizen Awards.
The awards are promoted through the 300 newspapers of the Ontario Community Newspapers Association, which Metroland Media Toronto is a member.
Eligible nominees are between ages six to 17, and nominations are received through membership papers.
Habib, 14, of North York is Grade 9 student at Senator O’Connor College School. Habib’s nominator calls her a, “passionate individual who is actively involved in her school, local and global community.”
“Serena can be described as kind, non-judgemental, empathetic student who wants to make a difference in the world,” her nominator said.
Adding Habib began the “Knit for Newborns” initiative almost a year ago. The program is dedicated to helping save the lives of babies in third world countries while helping “marginalized senior citizens” through handmade hats and blankets.
Etobicoke resident Mosun, 16, is a Grade 11 student at Appleby College in Oakville, Ont.
Her nominator said she is driven to help youth, and is launch a youth movement organization called “Selfless 16.”
“Soheila is a passionate, persistent and patient young adult that works very hard every day to work towards her goals,” her nominator said. “(She is) a committed young woman that intends to full her educational and career goals.”
Finally, Sarin, of North York, was described by her nominator as a committed volunteer in the community
“She is extremely ambitious and goes above and beyond to take initiative in her community,” her nominator said of the Grade 12 student at William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute. “Seher is an extremely enthusiastic, hardworking, optimistic and responsible individual.”
Those wishing to nominate a candidate for the Ontario Junior Citizen Awards in the future are asked to fill out nomination forms and include background information about the nominee, including supporting material such as letters of recommendation, newspaper clippings and more.
For more information about the awards and this year’s winners, visit www.ocna.org
