Meet The Candidates
Aimee Jiaer Wang is a student at Semiahmoo Secondary School who believes life is too short not to explore every opportunity. Driven by curiosity and a desire to make the most of everything, she is passionate about creativity, innovation, and impact.
She is actively involved in advocacy initiatives through the Surrey Youth Newcomer Council where she strives to amplify voices of newcomers who may not have the time, opportunity, or support to advocate for themselves. She also founded her school’s Crochet Club where they create handmade donations for local women’s shelters. Outside of school, Aimee enjoys photography and crafting, using both as creative outlets to express herself and capture beauty in everyday moments. Additionally, she is a swimmer, having spent over ten years in the pool before becoming a swim coach for younger and older athletes.
Growing up in the coastal community of White Rock, Aimee has always felt a strong connection to the ocean and the water. From spending years in the pool to being surrounded by the shoreline, the City of White Rock has become a meaningful part of Aimee’s identity that she could not be more proud to represent.
Aimee is sponsored by White Rock Amateur Swimming Association.
Alan Zhang
Alan Zhang is a grade 10 student attending Semiahmoo Secondary School. He was born deaf, and is now considered hard of hearing with cochlear implants. He has always felt different growing up; however the amazing and supportive community of kids and adults alike in White Rock have helped him feel included and not treated any differently. Thanks to this, he grew up hoping to give back to the community in the same way that it helped him. He’s also incredibly grateful to be able to call the beautiful White Rock-South Surrey area his home, and has been for the past decade.
Life outside of school is active for Alan, being the founder of the American Sign Language Club with over 15+ members, and a Dungeon Master in the Dungeons & Dragons club hosting weekly planned out meetings. He also finds new volunteering opportunities in his free time to help give back to his community even more, having helped with events like a debate tournament and a TedEx talk at White Rock. In the future, Alan hopes to pursue a career in Audiology to help others and make hearing support more accessible in the world.
Alan saw a chance and seized it to join the White Rock Youth Ambassadors as it was a great opportunity to help the community, support local businesses, and volunteer for the people. Working alongside his peers, he is enjoying his time and already improving his skills to assist others. He is extremely excited to make an impact on the community that helped him!
Alan is sponsored by Cindy Poppy of Homelife Benchmark Realty Corp.
Arnav Yadav
Arnav Yadav is a grade 11 student at Semiahmoo Secondary School. He is passionate about discovering new things, especially in the world of technology and innovation. His curiosity for how things work and excitement for learning have inspired his goal of pursuing Computer Science at the University of British Columbia and building a career in the field of Artificial Intelligence. Arnav enjoys exploring new ideas and challenging himself. He also enjoys volunteering and giving back to the community, as he values helping others and making a positive difference wherever he can. He has previously volunteered in many places including Surrey libraries and Saskatoon food bank.
After moving to White Rock, Arnav came to appreciate the welcoming community and the beautiful atmosphere. One of his favourite parts of White Rock is walking along the pier with his family, where he enjoys spending time and taking in the peaceful waterfront views. These experiences have helped him build a strong connection to the community he now calls home.
Today, Arnav is excited and honoured to be part of the White Rock Youth Ambassador program. He looks forward to working alongside his fellow Ambassadors, representing his community, developing new skills, and making a positive impact while celebrating everything that makes White Rock special.
Arnav is sponsored by White Rock Elks Club 431
Avril An
Avril is a Grade 11 student at Grandview Heights Secondary School who is passionate about leadership, community involvement, and personal growth. Throughout high school, Avril has completed over 200 hours of volunteer work through community litter cleanups, camp leadership, school leadership initiatives, and volunteering alongside nurses at Canuck Place Children’s Hospice.
Music has also been a major part of Avril’s life. She has been involved in concert band throughout high school and has studied piano and violin for over eight years, completing extensive examinations and performance opportunities along the way. With her deeply rooted musical background, she loves giving back to her community through volunteering and sharing music with the children she works with. Avril also combined her creativity and leadership by founding a jewelry club at her school, turning a small shared passion between friends into a space that students across the school could enjoy together.
Outside of school, Avril enjoys snowboarding, baking, dancing, spending time outdoors with friends, and appreciating the peaceful atmosphere and beaches of White Rock, which she has proudly called home for many years. In the future, she hopes to become a nurse practitioner and continue advocating for causes she deeply values, including animal welfare and community support. Through the White Rock Youth Ambassadors program, Avril is excited to continue growing as a young leader, connect with others, and represent the community that has shaped who she is today.
Avril is sponsored by Haven Dental Studio.
Eva Smith
Eva is a 17-year-old in grade 12 who is caring, funny, and creative. Born and raised in White Rock, she's grown up around summer parades, pier-side fish and chips and the sound of trains every time she falls asleep. Eva has been a dancer for 15 years of her life, and is always using creative outlets like writing, drawing, and photography to bring her visions to life.
Having always been fascinated by the sky, she aspires to become a Commercial Airline Pilot, traveling the continents and working in the ever-changing world of airports. Her participation in an Aviation co-op through BCIT is helping Eva build connections in the industry and work experience in the exciting field she hopes to work in one day.
She hopes to grow her friendships and maybe move to Europe in the future. Eva wants to take the memories that White Rock beach has given, return the gift by volunteering. She wants to foster keeping our community connected and our environment and ocean clean. With washing and cooking at soup kitchens and wetland restoration with Parks Canada, she has just begun her journey.
Eva is sponsored by Betty Be Good Boutique
Harleen Nannar
Harleen Nannar is a grade 11 Student at Semiahmoo Secondary School. She is enrolled in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Progam within the Natural Sciences stream and absolutely adores the sciences. With her greatest passion being biology, she plans to have a career within the medical field.
Originally from Ottawa, Harleen has integrated herself into the community in the past year and a half through active volunteerism, ranging from working with school children to engaging with the local elders in senior homes. Though, the move is still recent, White Rock – with the crisp breeze and picturesque views – has been quick to be become a friendly and comforting environment to her.
Harleen is multilingual, having spent most of her life in French Immersion at school, speaking English as her first language as well as Punjabi as her mother tongue. She appreciates the diversity in the White Rock-South Surrey community and is excited to continue learning more about other cultures throughout this journey filled with meeting so many others.
Harleen is most enthusiastic about theatre, visual arts, soccer, running and baking. Occasionally, she also enjoys jewelry making, crocheting and knitting. In addition, she is the is the founder of her school’s Pen Pal club and enjoys taking on leadership challenges such as that of the White Rock Youth Ambassadors program.
Harleen is sponsored by Playful Palette Foundation.
Mandy Zhang
Mandy is in grade 9 at Earl Marriott Secondary School She plans to major in Political Science in the future and work in the law field. Mandy participates in her school’s Model UN program, a simulation of the actual United Nations where you research a topic, act as country representatives and debate diplomatically about it with other delegates.
Outside of the committee room she is also in the Surrey Model United Nations club circuit as an organizer mainly focusing on marketing. Her main goal is to help create a club circuit which doubles as a community for delegates in Surrey and the Lower Mainland. She is very honoured to join the White Rock Youth Ambassadors program and grow alongside amazing people who will help inspire her as a person.
Mandy is sponsored by Nicole Cormier-Degner of Degner Homes.
Mathew Meleppuram
Advay Hooda
Advay Hooda is a grade 11 student at Elgin Park Secondary. He is passionate about leadership, community involvement, and volunteering. He enjoys building projects and working with his hands through woodworking. Outside of school, Advay is an active member of the Army Cadets program, where he has been part of the marksmanship team. He is also a member of his school’s rugby team, helping his team win South Fraser Championship and earn 2nd place at provincials. Following graduation, Advay hopes to pursue a degree in engineering. Advay is excited about the White Rock Youth Ambassador Program as it offers him opportunities to grow as a leader and give back to the community.
Advay is sponsored by Robert Wadsworth of Oakwyn Realty.
Mathew is a grade 11 student at Semihamoo Secondary school.
One of Mathew’s biggest interests is basketball. He loves playing and watching it, and it’s taught him a lot about teamwork, discipline, and staying calm under pressure… unless he misses an open layup, then it’s a different story.
Mathew also really into art because he likes being creative and bringing ideas to life. Whether it’s drawing or designing something cool, he enjoy making things that stand out.
Another thing Mathew is in interested in is UX design because he likes the idea of creating apps or websites that actually make sense to use. Nothing motivates him more than seeing a bad website and thinking, “Yeah… I could fix this.”
Mathew is hardworking, creative, and always trying to improve. His goal is to keep building skills, continuing excelling in school, and turn the things he enjoys into a career someday.
Mathew is sponsored by Trading Post Brewing.
Corvin Costigan
Aimee Wang
Corvin Costigan is a grade 11 student at Grandview Heights Secondary School who moved to White Rock in 2022.They have a love for astronomy, music, making art in different medias, and STEM, which led them to be a core part of their school’s FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics team, 9180, Ursa Major since grade 8. They also love making music together in their school’s Band Program, upcycling thrifted clothes, and getting lost on adventures with friends in the beautiful parts of British Columbia.
Corvin’s goals for the future include becoming fluent in ASL to help the people around them who are deaf or struggle with going non-verbal, volunteering at FIRST Robotics and further make STEM accessible for the next generation, and creating an indie animated series with their close friends. As for academics, they hope to go to university to one day get their PhD in Astronomy and Physics and possibly an Associate of Arts or Bachelor's degree in ASL.
Some of their proudest achievements include getting an invitation to the FIRST Robotics World Championships in Houston in their team’s rookie year in 2023, and winning the FIRST Robotics Canadian Pacific Regionals in March of 2026.
As someone who sees volunteering as a fun opportunity more than something to go on a resume, Corvin is excited to contribute to their community through the White Rock Youth Ambassadors program and build new connections. They are excited to meet the people who make this amazing community possible, along with the public speaking opportunities and to better their skills in it, or at least that’s what they remind themself before going on stage.
Corvin is sponsored by All Of Oils.