Zehra Alvi is currently a student at the University of Toronto Schools, which is the only merit based private school in Canada. Zehra came to UTS from Denlow P.S where she was enrolled into the gifted program from grade 4 onwards. Prior to that Zehra was a student in the I.B program at Harrison P. S. While in grade 3 her school Principal encouraged Zehra to take the Individually Administered Test of Intelligence. In the Verbal Comprehension she received 97% and in the Perceptual Reasoning she got 93% with a combination of the two domains yielding a GAI in the Very Superior range of 98% percentile.
Zehra received many awards during classes in Kumon and completed the entire Reading program (up to grade 12) while only in Grade 6. Likewise, she also completed the entire Math program (up to grade 12) while in Grade 8. She went on to obtain her First Aid and CPR C AED at the age of 13.
Zehra was the co-founder of the “Little Doctors” club while in her last year at Denlow. Since then she has developed her passion for medicine and healthcare. Zehra is a regular volunteer for the Circle of Care who helps seniors live at home. Zehra was involved with the Youth Philanthropy Initiative and she while learning about the challenges of homelessness she decided to make a change! Through her effort joinly with her brother, she spent numerous hours calling and contacting companies that make weighted blankets. Together they were able to acquire a donation of 100 weighted blankets packed, wrapped and delivered for the homeless to the Covenant House.
Disability and Accessibility issues are very near Zehra’s heart and this year she participated in the Easter Seals Community Conference at the MaRS Discovery Center in Toronto. The AccessAbility Innovations Student Fair and Competition awarded her the 1st place prize as the winner of the Digital-Electronics Innovation Category. She was selected among students from grade 10-12 all across the GTA for her concept of an interactive app that would enhance the ability for seniors and people living with disabilities to lead independent lives, while remaining in close contact with their personal support person for various purposes such as reminders/notifications, and remote care and support.