2025 Vistara Elevate Award recipient Kirat Ahluwalia (left) is pictured with Randy Garg (middle) and 2020 Elevate Award recipient Michal Oqbe (right).
Now in our fifth year of partnership with the Beedie Luminaries program, and as we celebrate Vistara Growth’s 10-year anniversary, we’re proud to introduce the 2025 recipient of the Vistara Elevate Award: Kirat Ahluwalia!
We had the pleasure of meeting Kirat at this year’s Night for Bright Minds event, where Beedie Luminaries introduced their 2025 Cohort. We’re thrilled to welcome her to the Vistara family and support her as she brings her passion and perspective to our world of technology investing. During her internship, Kirat will gain hands-on experience working alongside founders and high-growth companies, tackling the real-world challenges that define today’s innovation economy, while building the skills to help shape tomorrow.
“With the Vistara Elevate Awards, we recognize, reward, and support students who have overcome adversity and shown the ambition to elevate themselves further through education,” says Randy Garg, Vistara’s Founder and Managing Partner. “The word ‘Vistara’ means ‘expansion’, and through this award, we’ve watched that idea come to life. Now in our fifth year, we’ve seen students grow into role models, graduates, and leaders in their own right. We’re proud to continue investing in their potential and excited to welcome Kirat as the newest recipient of the Vistara Elevate Award.”
Read the full announcement below.
Beedie Luminaries Announcement
BEEDIE LUMINARIES — Each year, the Vistara Elevate Award honours a student of ethnic and racial diversity pursuing a degree in finance or STEM to promote much-needed diversity within these sectors of our economy. The Award offers financial support for the recipient’s first year of study within the Beedie Luminaries program (it is not an additional award). In addition, Vistara’s management team and network members provide the recipient with mentorship support throughout their four-year post-secondary journey and offer a guaranteed paid summer internship placement upon successful completion of their first year of study.
Established in 2020, Vistara committed $100,000 over five years alongside their commitment to providing a guaranteed paid internship for each selected student. Previous recipients of this award include Michal Oqbe (2020), Atta Ur Rehman Faiz (2021), Oliyad Samir Ali (2022), Aaron Abay (2023), and Tina Zeng (2024).
We are excited to announce the 2025 recipient of the Vistara Elevate Award, Kirat Ahluwalia. A graduate of John Oliver Secondary School, Kirat looks forward to beginning her post-secondary journey at the UBC Sauder School of Business, where she hopes to specialize in Finance. Reflecting on her achievement, Kirat shares that receiving the Vistara Elevate Award “represents not just recognition, but trust – trust in who I am becoming, and what I hope to contribute to the world.”
Throughout high school, Kirat immersed herself in initiatives that allowed her to lead with purpose and make a tangible difference in her community. She thrived in roles that brought people together – mentoring younger students, planning school-wide events and fundraisers, and championing projects that aligned with her values. For Kirat, leadership has always been about showing up, stepping up, and ensuring others feel seen and supported.
One of her most impactful experiences was serving as President of the Fighting for a Cure Club for four years. Under her leadership, the club organized multiple fundraising and outreach events for BC Children’s Hospital, including coordinating and delivering Joy Packages for young cancer patients. These experiences highlighted to her the power of community and compassion, and how even small gestures can create profound impact.
Kirat also explored entrepreneurship through her Capstone Project, KiratBakes, where she launched a bakery business from the ground up. What began as a simple love for baking evolved into a full-fledged venture, teaching her about branding, pricing, promotion, and customer engagement. This hands-on experience gave Kirat valuable insight into business strategy, collaboration, and creative problem-solving, further solidifying her dream of pursuing business with purpose.
Her learning extended beyond the classroom through her participation in the UBC Future Global Leaders Program, where she deepened her understanding of business markets and the role of socially responsible business in shaping equitable communities. These experiences, alongside her family’s immigrant journey, have fuelled her commitment to using business as a force for equity and access.
Now, as she steps into her first year at UBC Sauder, Kirat carries with her the resilience and determination of someone who understands the importance of representation and support. She is passionate about using business not just as a career path, but as a tool for change – to uplift others the way so many have uplifted her.
Being selected for the Vistara Elevate Award is an honour Kirat holds deeply:
“To be selected for the Vistara Elevate Award, alongside other inspiring Beedie Luminaries, is an honour I don’t take lightly. Thank you to Vistara Growth and Beedie Luminaries for believing in students like me, who lead with heart, vision, and the will to keep going.”
We are incredibly proud of Kirat and grateful to our donor and corporate partner, Vistara Growth, for their ongoing partnership and commitment to helping students realize their dreams. Learn more about Vistara Growth here.
