Pursuing
a life of distinction
21-year old area Bahá'í, Sherwin Habibi, has recently been awarded the
Governor-General’s medal for his achievements as an undergraduate
student at Carleton University. Sherwin will be moving to Toronto in
the fall to begin his studies to become a dentist.
“Winning the Governor General’s medal was a pretty amazing honor,” said
Sherwin. “I had been motivated from a really young age by something
that my dad always told me. He explained that everyone is different and
that everyone has different capacities. To truly be “successful,” one
has to strive to achieve their personal maximum capacity.”
Alongside his studies, Sherwin has been an active member of the Ottawa
Bahá'í community, and he credits his faith with setting high standards
for his life. “The Baha’i Faith has definitely given me a platform from
which to base all my decisions. When I turned 15, my mom framed a
quotation by Abdu’l-Baha that started with, “I desire distinction for
you.” Although the passage was talking about spiritual distinction, I
thought that I should strive for distinction in all aspects of life.”
After graduating, Sherwin will be taking a break before continuing as a
student in the Doctor of Dental Surgery program at the University of
Toronto, which he describes as his “career goal.”
Asked about his future goals and aspirations in life, Sherwin said, “I
obviously want to have a successful dental practice in the future, be
happy with my life, and have a loving and united family. I would want
my own kids to have the same spiritual and academic guidance that my
sister and I received.”
The Governor-General’s silver medal is awarded at the undergraduate
level by each Canadian university to the student finishing with the
highest academic standing. It was established in 1873 by Lord Dufferin
to encourage academic excellence across the nation, and it is one of
the most prestigious awards that students at Canadian schools can
achieve.
