BEEDIE LUMINARIES — Each year, the Vistara Elevate Award honors a student of ethnic and racial diversity pursuing a degree in finance or STEM to promote much-needed diversity in these sectors of our economy. The Award offers financial support for the first year of their study within the Beedie Luminaries program (not an additional award). In addition, Vistara’s management team and network members offer the recipient mentorship support throughout their four-year post-secondary program and provide a paid summer internship placement upon successful completion of their first year of study.
Earlier this month, 2023 Vistara Elevate Award recipient Aaron Abay (middle) was invited to the Vistara Growth head office in Vancouver to meet with Founder and Managing Partner, Randy Garg (left), as well as Partner, Noah Shipman (right).
The meeting was a short but sweet kick-off to a budding relationship that we look forward to seeing grow over the next few years between our Beedie Luminary, and our Corporate Partner, Vistara Growth.
The Process So Far
It is with no doubt that Aaron has earned this designation by being a stand-out student. Besides being a well-rounded student athlete, the Templeton Secondary graduate has always been a keener with a knack for entrepreneurship.
As Aaron wrapped up his Grade 12 year, he and a friend were busy building their clothing brand, WAKEUPTHEPEOPLE. In a short few months, Aaron and his friend-turned-business-partner, Markus, have managed to build a loyal and engaged community of shoppers, and gain traction on social media with their trendy sweat sets and trucker hats.
While Aaron occupied his summer with his full-time job running summer camps for children in underserved parts of the city, he spent his spare time working with distributors from across the world, merchandising products, and packing and shipping all orders with a small but mighty team of two.
When asked about how the pair managed to do this as such a young age, Aaron mentioned the importance of the mentorship he was provided by Kenneth Ammador and Justin Le; what Aaron and Markus ideated, Kenneth and Justin helped turn to reality by giving advice on how to run a successful brand on social media, and all the general dos and don’ts of the whole process.
Now, with WAKEUPTHEPEOPLE’s third drop bringing in business from cities across North America and even shoppers in Australia, Aaron is eagerly looking ahead to what comes next. Amidst this, one thing is loud and clear: rather than waiting to be presented with answers, Aaron is often ahead of the curve and finding answers for himself. With his very first business venture well underway, Aaron seems to ideating beyond this already incredible accomplishment.
The Next Chapter
As September comes and goes, Aaron begins his academic career at Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business where he hopes to learn all of the business basics and further his entrepreneurial skills. On behalf of Vistara Growth and the greater Beedie Luminaries community, we are proud to congratulate Aaron on this designation and look forward to all that he will accomplishment throughout his academic career, and more!
As always, we would like to extend a huge thank you to our wonderful donor and corporate partner, Vistara Growth, for their ongoing support and dedication to the program. Learn more about Vistara Growth here.
Meet other Luminaries like Aaron here.
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