Age: 16
Calgary Public Library (CPL) has long been Akshita Rawat’s happy place. When she moved from India at the age of six, CPL programs helped her adjust to her new life in Canada. Now, she volunteers for CPL programs like Reading Buddies and Code Club, fostering the same community that welcomed her a decade ago.
Rawat self-published a motivational book in 2021 and launched a YouTube channel for young readers that same year. Her award-winning science projects include researching the health effects of wax coatings on apples, the use of biodegradable hydrogels to save water in agriculture, and investigating new strategies for early leukemia detection.
Academia aside, Rawat can often be found performing Bharatanatyam, an Indian classical dance. And, she has served on the Mayor’s Youth Council and volunteered at the zoo. “Volunteering helped me give back what I got when I really needed it.”
