Medicine Hat grad’s volunteer and STEM leadership earns Platinum Jubilee honour

Medicine Hat student recognized for service and science

Medicine Hat graduate Fatema Riaz has been awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Citizenship Medallion, a provincial honour presented at Government House in Edmonton. The recognition highlights sustained community service and student leadership that began in her mid-teens and continued through graduation from Medicine Hat High School.

“It definitely feels like all the hard work and everything has paid off,” Riaz said, calling the recognition exciting.

Riaz’s record of service stretches from the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital, where she started volunteering at age 15, to the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary, where she now serves while attending university. She estimates connecting with roughly 3,600 patients through volunteer roles that put her in regular contact with families and care teams.

STEM advocacy alongside community service

Beyond health-care volunteering, Riaz has spent years encouraging peers to pursue science, technology, engineering and math. In Grade 12 she competed at the Canada-Wide Science Fair, earning a gold medal and top distinction in the health and wellness category. She also took part in the High School Youth Researcher Program at the University of Lethbridge, conducting antibiotic research. School officials noted she was the first Medicine Hat High School student in many years to participate in that program.

Her approach has been to merge scientific curiosity with practical service to others. As she put it:

“I found a way … to combine what I’m personally interested in, which is science, biomedical research and all that, as a way to give back to the community of Medicine Hat.”

Leadership at Medicine Hat High

While at Medicine Hat High School, Riaz balanced academics with extracurriculars. She served on student council, played badminton, helped organize cultural events and co-founded a debate club. She was selected as valedictorian and delivered the school’s graduation address, which she described as a highlight of her high school years.

At the medallion ceremony on July 14 at Government House in Edmonton, Alberta’s Lieutenant Governor Salma Lakhani joined recipients, underscoring the province-wide scope of the recognition. Riaz said the honour acknowledges a span of activities that are rooted in her hometown.

Born and raised in Medicine Hat, she credited teachers and mentors for shaping her path. She emphasized that her volunteer work and STEM outreach are meant to reflect the support she received locally, adding that it feels meaningful to give back to a community that has invested in her development.

Local impact and what comes next

For local schools and youth programs, Riaz’s experience offers a concrete example of how early engagement in health care and research can open opportunities. It also underscores the role Medicine Hat institutions play in preparing students for provincial and national platforms, from hospital volunteer programs to science fairs and university research placements.

Riaz continues to volunteer while pursuing university studies in Calgary. The mix of patient interaction, research exposure and school-based leadership that led to the medallion points to pathways available to other Medicine Hat students looking to combine career interests with civic contribution.

Highlights of service and achievement

• Health-care volunteering: Medicine Hat Regional Hospital (began at 15); Alberta Children’s Hospital (while at university); approximately 3,600 patient interactions.
• STEM recognition: Gold medal and best in health and wellness category at the Canada-Wide Science Fair.
• Research experience: High School Youth Researcher Program at the University of Lethbridge, focused on antibiotic research.
• School leadership: Student council, badminton, cultural events; helped create a debate club; selected as valedictorian.

Riaz said the recognition reflects sustained effort more than any single event. As she put it, support from family, educators and the wider Medicine Hat community helped make the path possible — and motivates her to keep contributing.