University of Lethbridge alumnus Manwar Khan (BSc ’07) is being recognized as one of the RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrants of 2014.
Khan, a father of twins, has been an active community advocate against violence since witnessing and intervening to stop a deadly attack against a fellow commuter on an Edmonton LRT train in December 2012. Since then, he has organized a number of anti-bullying rallies across the province and worked to empower citizens to take a stand against violence.
“The RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards recognize outstanding individuals from diverse communities who enrich Canada and make it a better place to live,” says Christine Shisler, director, Multicultural Markets, RBC, in a news release.
The annual program invited citizens to submit nominees to the RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards, from which a judging panel created a 75-person list of finalists. From there, Canadians were encouraged to vote online for the final award winners through to May 15, 2014, after which the top 25 were recognized.
Khan, who came to Canada in 2001 from Bangladesh as an international student to study at the University of Lethbridge, is now a business user acceptance testing co-ordinator for the Ministry of Alberta Human Services. Since his hero moment, he also has the unofficial moniker of the Anti-bullying Crusader.
“Since that day, I have been setting up rallies across the province to raise awareness about bullying and the role of the bystander. I have been sharing my story in the hopes of making Alberta a better, safer place,” explains Khan.
He has organized rallies and candlelight vigils in the province to create awareness against violence and the power of bystanders to intervene.
“I am proud of seeing my anti-bullying campaign go province-wide and start to empower victims of bullying and violence, and gain so much support from people of all different backgrounds in Alberta,” says Khan. “Having a positive attitude toward the challenges I encountered as an immigrant and facing those with patience helped me succeed in Canada. I believe if I want something, I have to go after it. You can’t wait for someone else to give it to you. You have to be focused, have a goal and go after it.”
For more on the RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards, visit the following website: http://canadianimmigrant.ca/canadas-top-25-immigrants.
