2025 Award Recipients

Bachelor of Social Work with minors in Global Development Studies and Gender and Sexuality Studies

Graduating with a Bachelor of Social Work, with minors in Global Development Studies and Gender and Sexuality Studies and a certificate in Pluralism and Global Citizenship, Thomas Tri has distinguished himself as a bold advocate, award-winning scholar, and transformative leader. Bridging research, community engagement, and social justice, he champions equity and inclusion—particularly for equity-deserving communities such as disabled individuals, LGBTQIA+ migrants, and newcomer youth.

Thomas has published seven peer-reviewed journal articles—including four as first author—and presented at 11 academic conferences, advancing critical scholarship on disability, sexuality, and migration. His research has real-world impact—and so does his leadership. On campus, he served as Co-President of the Global Development Society, Director with the Sustainable Development Goals Alliance, and a member of the Students’ Union Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Task Force, where he advocated for student engagement, sustainability, and food security. As Student Lab Lead with the Disability and Sexuality Lab, he mentored junior students,  helped secure a grant to co-develop sexual health resources with caregivers of autistic youth, and co-developed accessible knowledge tools like podcasts and infographics for service providers. As Research Associate at The Immigrant Education Society, Centre for Immigrant Research, he also helped with the curation of an art exhibit at UCalgary’s Little Gallery, amplifying the voices of LGBTQIA+ migrants—a project that drew media attention from CTV and Global News. At the Q Centre, he offers peer support and helps foster inclusive spaces for LGBTQIA+ students.

During his time in UCalgary’s Scholars Academy, Thomas led a project close to his heart: an environmental scan of educational barriers facing newcomer youth in Calgary. “It’s especially personal to me,” he shares, “as it addresses challenges we witnessed in our communities firsthand growing up in Northeast Calgary.” Initially developed for the Map the System competition, the initiative evolved into a full-scale community-engaged research project with two local non-profits. “It reminded me of the powerful potential that emerges when people come together to address a shared concern,” he reflects. “[And] just as importantly, it reaffirmed the need to centre community perspectives in research.”

Thomas serves as a Youth Advisor to Plan International Canada and the Canadian Council of Young Feminists, where he has helped shape policy recommendations presented at the UN and to the Government of Canada. Named one of the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation’s Top 30 Under 30 and a McCall MacBain Regional Award recipient, Thomas is already making a lasting impact in academic, activist, and policy spaces. 

Looking ahead, he plans to continue bridging research, advocacy, and community engagement through graduate studies supported by the Canada Graduate Scholarship. “I hope to deepen my commitment to community-based and participatory approaches that centre the voices of those most impacted by systems of exclusion—particularly around disability, migration and sexuality.”