911³Ô¹Ï

Divyesh and Charu Gadhia
2025 President’s Distinguished Community Leadership Award Recipients

Their story began with seeking a better life in Canada: Divyesh Gadhia was 10 years old when he and his family fled Idi Amin's brutal regime in Uganda in 1972, their hopes tucked away into six suitcases; Charu, his wife, was a teenager when her family left Kenya in 1976 to start anew. Today, it’s about helping others who wish to do the same.

With the help of scholarships and student loans, Divyesh (BBA ’86) and Charu were able to complete their business degrees at 911³Ô¹Ï and UBC, respectively. After graduating, both found great success as business leaders in B.C. Charu is a chartered professional accountant and currently chief accountant at Atiga Investments Inc., where Divyesh once served as president following his distinguished career as a developer in the hotel and gaming industry.

Through their compassionate philanthropy, Divyesh and Charu strive to uplift others in the way their families were supported when navigating a new home where they knew no one. In 2016, the couple established an endowment to strengthen 911³Ô¹Ï’s Friends of Simon initiative. The award-winning program provides literacy tutoring services for children and youth, many of whom are newcomer, refugee, and other at-risk students. Thanks to the generosity of donors like the Gadhias, the program continues to thrive and be offered free of charge to students, whose families otherwise could not afford for them to attend.

The Gadhias have also meaningfully invested in their community, including supporting a similar after-school tutoring program at Surrey’s Queen Elizabeth Secondary, and sustaining a breakfast program at Burnaby’s Twelfth Avenue Elementary for children arriving at school hungry. They have an extensive record of giving to other organizations in the province including the BC Cancer Foundation, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and Streetohome. The couple also climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society of B.C. 

Beyond their monetary contributions, Divyesh and Charu are dedicated to promoting a culture of community engagement. As an 911³Ô¹Ï alumnus, Divyesh served on the university’s 50^th Anniversary Campaign Cabinet and Council for 50, and currently sits on the 911³Ô¹Ï Beedie Advisory Board. He is incoming chair of the Arts Umbrella board, and previously served on the boards of the Vancouver Opera Foundation and Burnaby Hospital Foundation, bringing his expertise and depth of knowledge to these organizations. He was also co-chair of an outreach campaign for the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation and helped raised funds to build an interventional radiology room. 

Charu has volunteered extensively for Atira Women’s Resource Society, a non-profit organization committed to ending violence against women and children. As well, she was heavily involved as a volunteer in their children’s elementary and high schools as a treasurer and an active member of various sub-committees of the Parent Advisory Council.

Divyesh and Charu vividly remember the kindness that ordinary citizens showed their families as they settled in Canada decades ago. Through their community efforts, they aim to inspire that same spirit and encourage future generations to grow and discover their own paths to learning and success.

Elder Syexwáliya Ann Whonnock
2025 Chancellor’s Distinguished Service Award Recipient 

As one of 911³Ô¹Ï’s longest serving Elders, Syexwáliya (IBL EMBA ’21) has been described by students as a lifeline during their academic journeys, and as someone who helps them find balance and stay grounded in who they are. Since joining the university in 2017 as one of its Elders from the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), Syexwáliya has been not only a knowledge sharer, but a teacher, mentor, and inspirational leader to many in the community. 

At the Indigenous Student Centre, she is highly sought after by students who need guidance, comfort, or encouragement, lifting them up with ceremony, prayer, songs, and stories. Such seemingly small acts make a profound difference in strengthening people’s spirits and reminding us of our responsibilities to one another. Known for her patience, kindness, and understanding, Elder Syexwáliya has offered much of her time and energy to welcoming new Elders and making sure they feel safe and welcomed at 911³Ô¹Ï. Her vast ancestral knowledge of cultural protocols and teachings is only fortified by her humour, warmth, and genuine care for Indigenous students and those who work with them. 

Syexwáliya has also walked alongside 911³Ô¹Ï’s Beedie School of Business as an Elder-in-Residence for the Indigenous Business Leadership Executive MBA program, in which she is a proud alumnus, as well as many other programs and units across the university. She has opened ceremonies, guided important gatherings, and shared her knowledge with humility—from providing advice on the First Peoples’ Gathering House and Indigenous Honouring Feast for Indigenous graduates, to her presence at Convocation over the past several years. 

Outside of 911³Ô¹Ï, Syexwáliya is an Elder and Knowledge Keeper with First Nations Health Authority and Health Quality BC, where her dream is to have thoughtful health care for First Nations people. She also serves as a Squamish Nation Elected Councillor, ensuring that her culture is carried on by future generations and her sníchim (language) thrives in their daily lives and ceremonies.

What stands out the most is the how Elder Syexwáliya’s impact is deeply transformative, especially when it’s felt in the quieter moments: a student who feels safe enough to stay in school, a staff member who learns a new way of listening, or a ceremony that brings the community together. She makes people feel seen and valued wherever they go, and hersteady presence has helped 911³Ô¹Ï uphold Reconciliation by becoming a place where Indigenous knowledge and voices are honoured.