At the time of appointment, Nava Ashraf was the youngest person ever to be awarded the Order of British Columbia, demonstrating that Canada’s younger generation has the resources and motivation to generate creative ideas and new solutions for the challenges of the future.

Nava Ashraf was born in 1975 to a Baha’i family in Iran. Five years later, her family fled to Canada to escape religious persecution. In her adopted country, Ms. Ashraf has overcome many obstacles to achieve an unparalleled record of social service and academic excellence.

Graduating from her high school in Kelowna first in her class with an A+ average, and winning the Governor-General’s Award for Academic Excellence, Ms. Ashraf was the only graduate to complete the rigorous International Baccalaureate program at the same time.

In addition to these impressive academic achievements, she has worked energetically to start and lead many community service groups such as the environmental group LIFE and Students for Global Awareness. She has demonstrated leadership and dedication in working for the betterment of her community.

Among the many benefits left behind in her home community of Kelowna as she pursues her higher education at Stanford University on a full scholarship, is a computer program she developed to assist immigrant students with learning English as a second language.